


Paradigm Shift

by Calcasieu1959



Category: Black Jewels - Anne Bishop, Teen Wolf (TV), Written In Red - Anne Bishop
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Bloodplay, Dedicated to Bookwyrm who held my beer and stood by cheering!!, F/M, Humor, M/M, Supernatural (TV) Cameos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-21
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 06:08:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 74
Words: 181,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1215514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calcasieu1959/pseuds/Calcasieu1959
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paradigm Shift...when what you thought you knew as true and real...isn't and perhaps never was. </p><p>Life is about figuring stuff out. What to believe and who to believe in.</p><div class="center">
  <h5>Dedicated to Bookwyrm...for holding my beer and telling me what a great idea!!!</h5>
</div>I've written for a very long time and decided this NaNoWriMo to share what I created. I would still consider this a rough draft. I spell checked it but still may have missed some things. Your eyes are the first ones to see this...creation.<p>I took the characters from Teen Wolf and stuck them in the 'Written In Red' world created by Anne Bishop, shook the hell out of it and poured it out to see what happened. Decided Black Jewels was too good to leave out and threw some of that in too.<br/>Come along for the ride.</p><p>I'm done. This was a joint effort between Bookwyrm and myself. Life has taken us in different directions. I can't reform what was a duo into a solo and I'm tired of trying. "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert... It's not worth the shit sandwich. </p><p>Thank you and take care,<br/>Cal</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One Of Those Days

**Author's Note:**

> Edited. Someone finally got around to telling me it was like getting thrown in the deep end. Added the prologue from the book to give some background. It's still not going to be as dark as she writes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 1 & 2 have been revised to be more consistent with the rest of the story. 4/30/14

Prologue  
From “Written In Red” 

Long ago, Namid gave birth to all kinds of life, including the beings known as humans. She gave the humans fertile pieces of herself, and she gave them good water. Understanding their nature and the nature of her other offspring, she also gave them enough isolation that they would have a chance to survive and grow. And they did. 

They learned to build fires and shelters. They learned to farm and build cities. They built boats and fished in the Mediterran and Black seas. They bred and spread throughout their pieces of the world until they pushed into the wild places. That’s when they discovered that Namid’s other offspring already claimed the rest of the world. 

The Others looked at humans and did not see conquerors. They saw a new kind of meat. 

Wars were fought to possess the wild places. Sometimes the humans won and spread their seed a little further. More often, pieces of civilization disappeared, and the fearful survivors tried not to shiver when a howl went up in the night or a man, wandering too far from the safety of stout doors and light, was found the next morning drained of blood. 

Centuries passed, and the humans built larger ships and sailed across the Atlantik Ocean. When they found virgin land, they built a settlement near the shore. Then they discovered that this land was also claimed by the terra indigene, the earth natives. The Others

The terra indigene who ruled the continent called Thaisia became angry when the humans cut down trees and put a plow to the land that was not theirs. So the Others ate the settlers and learned the shape of this particular meat, just as they had done many times in the past. 

The second wave of explorers and settlers found the abandoned settlement and, once more, tried to claim the land as their own. 

The Others ate them too. 

The third wave of settlers had a leader who was smarter than his predecessors. He offered the Others warm blankets and lengths of cloth for clothes and interesting bits of shiny in exchange for being allowed to live in the settlement and have enough land to grow new crops. The Others thought that this was a fair exchange and walked off the boundaries of the land that the humans could use. More gifts were exchanged for hunting and fishing privileges. This arrangement satisfied both sides, even if one side regarded its new neighbors with snarling tolerance and the other side swallowed in fear and made sure its people were safely inside the settlement walls before nightfall. 

Years passed and more settlers arrived. Many died, but enough humans prospered. Settlements grew into villages, which grew into towns, which grew into cities. Little by little, humans moved across Thaisia, spreading out as much as they could on the land they were allowed to use.  
Centuries passed. Humans were smart. So were the Others. Humans invented electricity and plumbing. The Others controlled all the rivers that could power the generators and all the lakes that supplied fresh drinking water. Humans invented steam engines and central heating. The Other controlled all the fuel needed to run the engines and heat the buildings. Humans invented and manufactured products. The Others controlled all the natural resources, thereby deciding what would and wouldn’t be made in their part of the world. 

There were collisions, of course, and some places became dark memorials for the dead. Thos memorials finally made it clear to human government that the terra indigene ruled Thaisia, and nothing short of the end of the world would change that. 

So it comes to the current age. Small human villages exist within vast tracks of land that belong to the Others. And in larger cities, there are fenced parks called Courtyards that are inhabited by the Others who have the task of keeping watch over the city’s residents and enforcing the agreements the humans made with the terra indigene. 

There is still sharp-toothed tolerance on one side and fear of what walks in the dark on the other. But if they are careful, the humans survive.

Most of the time, they survive.

Chapter 1: One Of Those Days

It was one of those days. 

Chris shoved both hands through his thick, I-need-a-haircut-soon, blondish hair and took a very deep breath and held it. Good help was hard to find. He had agreed to Peter’s idea that there should be a human working in the Bookstore to deal with the humans. Chris had agreed to the one of the test cases? Head cases? The second was more accurate. 

Damn, he knew better. He KNEW better than to let Peter get him in a room alone to ‘discuss’ one of Peter’s great ideas. Peter had an amazing mouth on him in so many ways. His brain had taken a hike and somehow when they were in the room with the rest of the Hales he had agreed with Peter’s plan. That is what Peter had told them anyway and he had been too blissed out to say any different. Until it was too late. 

So here he stood. Frustrated and cranky. He had to leave. The rats in wolf-skins had already abandoned ship so he couldn’t dump running the Bookstore on them till he got back. 

Melissa had bitched at him for days…days… the last time he had just thrown everyone out of the Bookstore and closed the doors because he had to go somewhere and he was tired of the whining from everyone he asked to stand at the register and take money. Even when Allison had been a two-year-old cubling, she hadn’t whined that much or hit those notes. 

He should have never taken that Business Course with her. From the Human school-place-that-thought-its-shit-didn’t-stink. She had turned… Peter had even commented that Melissa was getting rather intense about following the How To Run A Successful Business Handbook. When Peter started mentioning words like intense, psychotic and unbalanced, it was very bad and time to go and find an unoccupied cave. 

Which is exactly what he wanted to do but couldn’t because he had to go and be yammered at by the Hales and he had no one to stand at the stupid cash register. He did it. It wasn’t difficult. And he just spotted his victim. Volunteer. Melissa got all pissy about calling them victims. Melissa seriously needed some mind-blowing sex and very often and soon. 

At least she was the only cranky, opinionated female in his life right now. Well, except for his daughter. 

Marko entered the store. 

Chris took two seconds to feel both sorry and bad for the big, earth-toned Wolfgard shape-shifter. Then he struck.   
“Marko. Take care of the cash register. You have done it before. Do it again.”   
“But you got a human. I saw him.”   
“He left.”   
Marko blinked. “Was he a screamer or a crier?”  
“This one did both as he ran out.” 

Marko sighed to have missed that show. His head came up. “I have a book. It came in. I want to read my book.” He looked around Chris. “There are humans in there.”   
“Take their money and you can have the book in exchange. Move. The Hales want to yammer at me. Again.”   
Marko lift-lipped.   
While Marko was contemplating the plague that was the Hales, Chris walked out the door. 

Marko stood there in shock for the few seconds it took Chris to be out the door and jogging away. He could hear the jaws of the trap called… Working With Humans … snap closed to bite into his ass. He was one of the best at hunting and tracking in the Courtyard. He was the one that they turned to when something or someone couldn’t be found. He had a reputation that he took great care of and pride in. 

And he had been lured in like a toddling cub to watch the stupid humans from behind the cash register. If Chris did this to him one more time he would have to give up the right to call the humans slow and stupid. With a sigh, he trudged over to the counter where the cash register was and sat on the stool. He should have come into the Bookstore in fur. Chris bitched about it but that was short term. This was going to be a long-term pain in the ass of being in skin and dealing with humans. He should have stuck with fur-shape.

He was sulking. He glanced around the Bookstore and dared anyone to call him on it. He spotted something unmistakable. Flame-hair woman and the wounded cub. 

Sam was there. He watched the cubling.   
Flame-hair had done the register before. When she was there it had been some of the best entertainment of Dealing With Humans. 

The time when Melissa had bodily hauled Chris off for a ‘Come to Mother Night’ talk about how he wasn’t allowed to lunge over the counter at the stupid human customer who had pissed on him for the last time. Melissa saying that the human was just being human. Chris saying that the male had been challenging him. There had been thuds and snarls from the back. None of the human customers had left. They bought even more books.

Melissa had looked at Flame-hair, before she had gotten a really good grip on Chris’ shirt, and snarled ‘watch the register’ and she had. Melissa had come back through and went back to her Café and her very many and sharp knives. Chris had not returned for a couple of hours. Flame-hair had quietly done the money-smile-chatter thing. 

Then there was human-that-could-have-been-a-cow-bull that had worked at the Bookstore. He had lasted several weeks. The longest of all the humans that had thought it would be exciting/interesting/profitable to work in the Courtyard. There had been a chart with words that said why they came. Melissa had been doing a Survey-For-Success. 

Marko didn’t count it as success if they came but didn’t stay behind the register. That just meant that Chris was even more cranky. There had been hopes and betting that bull-man would last. Marko hadn’t bet so he just watched the show. 

Melissa had taken Flame-hair by the hand and led her to the register while Chris and Bull-man snarled, bellowed and screamed at each other. Both had been in very good voice and could be clearly heard for a distance. It had been good entertainment. No blood though. 

Flame-hair was feisty. She had a good punch for a small, human woman. Of course, to be fair, Chris had been distracted. It would have been doubtful that her punch to the stomach would have brought him to his knees if Melissa hadn’t been beating on him from the other side. 

That led to more snarling on Melissa’s part about taking the Sensitivity Training Course with her. Don’t grab the humans. She waved the section of the How-To-Run-A-Successful-Business-Handbook in Chris’ face.

Chris had ripped it out of her hand, threw it in a solid trashcan and pissed on it. (He heard that later Chris had paid for her to get the Revised and Expanded version.) 

Flame-hair had just taken herself over to the register with a sigh after checking that Sam was near wounded cub. Sam had her trained. He would raise his paw and she would go pee. Marko sort of wanted a human of his own. But then he thought of how much trouble they would be and get into. Flame-hair was a good and smart female. Maybe there was some Other ‘in the woodpile’. She was too clever to just be human. 

Here came the humans to put books on the counter. Marko had NOT done the smile-money-chatter ‘workshop’ Melissa had given. He had just stood there while Chris had run a short errand. He needed to go and get Flame-hair. 

Marko walked over and stood close but not threat close. “The humans want to give money for books.”  
Flame-hair looked at him.   
Marko sighed. She was usually quicker than this. “Money-smile with teeth-chatter-money?”  
“Okaay.”   
She still wasn’t understanding. She must be having a human moment.   
Marko offered her his hand. “Register.” And ‘the lights came on’ as he heard one human say. 

“Oh. You need me to help? Of course. I can do that.” She looked over at Alex. Who pointed to the massive black-furred Wolf draped on the beanbag across from him. Who looked back at her and raised a paw. 

Marko trailed behind her. He spotted the book he had ordered and the one that been written after it that was in the same stack. He picked up the two books, sat on the stool behind the counter and started to read. Flame-hair had the counter. His part was done. He would just sit here in case she needed him to snarl at someone. She sucked at it. When Chris came back he would leave and take his two books with him for being behind the register. It wasn’t all that bad. As long as you could stick Flame-hair in front of you.

♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥§♥

Brigid sighed. She was cashiering. Again. At least this time there was no snarling, screaming or trying to draw blood going on in the background. It had freaked her out the first time it had happened. Alex had gone under the table and she had been half a second from joining him. Except for the little fact that there was the large Wolf under there with him crouched in front of him protectively.

Months had passed and they had gotten used to the Wolfgard way of dealing with annoyances. Snaps, snarls and very loud ‘discussions’. 

She smiled at the young man that had been willing to be the first to deal with the shaper-shifter before it had been dumped in her lap. It was always an adventure shopping in the Courtyard. Sometimes just being in the Courtyard. He came back and put his books back on the counter. He had picked up a second book while he had been waiting. "Oh this is the third of her Dark Jewels series. I didn't know that it had come out yet. I am sure that you will enjoy it. Anne Bishop has always been one of my favorite authors. Did you find everything that you were looking for?"

He looked at the book. "It's a series? This is the third one? I thought it was the first. Do you have the first two?" 

"Just a moment and I'll check." Before Brigid could move one of the customers hurried over to that section. "I know where they are." She quickly found the section and the books, grabbed them and approached the counter on Brigid's side. "Here." She handed them to the young man. He started to look at the back but a grumble from the Wolfgard made him just place them on the stack. "I'll just take them all. Thank you for pointing that out." 

Brigid totaled up his purchases, told him the amount. He gave her money. She gave him change. Put his books in a bag. He took the bag and hastily moved out of range. 

The next person in line looked at Brigid. 

Brigid looked at the Wolfgard. “Quite simple really. Any questions?”

The muscular male looked up from his book and did that lip-lift thing they did so well. “I am only here to stay behind the register with you and snarl at the customers when you need it. Your snarl sucks.” 

"I guess I am checking until Chris comes back or the evening cashier shows up. Fine." She would swear that there was a sigh of relief from everyone in the store. Hers was more like a sigh of resignation. 

She could hear the male shifter muttering under his breath. "Put in numbers and added them up. Tell the amount. Humans give her money. Put the money number in. Give them back money. Chatter at them while she puts in the numbers. They chatter back at her. Smile with teeth and happy noises. So stupid." The Wolfgard shook his head and went back to reading. 

Brigid checked for about an hour straight. Alex was occupied with his drawing at a child’s table in the sun where she could see him. The Security Wolf was near-by. No one would bother her son. She would glance over from time to time to check on him. 

His head was now on the table pillowed on his arms. He looked like he was asleep. That was good. It was getting busy. And when the hell was an actual store employee going to show up? The Others had a somewhat different ideas of how business should be run. This was verging in insane. 

Melissa brought her a bottle of water and a warm, spicy drink. "You are doing great. Chris will be back eventually to take over." 

Brigid looked at her in dismay. "You do realize that I'm not an employee. He will be back eventually? Isn't there someone else that it actually scheduled to, you know, like WORK here? There was that guy with the glasses. When is he scheduled to come in?"

Melissa winced. “I doubt that Chris will be much longer.” And then she turned around and freaking left. Brigid wondered when she had entered some alternate reality and why it hadn't come with a warning sticker. 

“Okay, that’s it. What is going on? Where is the guy with the glasses and when is his shift supposed to start.” Brigid was getting frustrated.   
“He’s human. He can’t shift.”   
“Get your face out of that book and look at me. We are about to have a conversation.” 

The Wolfgard closed his book and slid to the other side of the stool. “A ‘come to Mother Night’ conversation? But I’ve been good. I have been sitting here quietly reading while you do the register. If I haven’t snarled at anyone it was because you THUMPED MY EAR for doing it. That HURT.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have thumped your ear. I’m sorry I hurt you.” It was all that Brigid could do not to roll her eyes. He filled the doorway when he stood in it. He wasn’t only tall he was wide. She had only thumbed his ear before his snarling had made the couple either pee the floor, have heart failure or both. They got the credit card situation sorted. Sometimes it DID take sixteen repetitions before some people caught on. 

She took a deep breath and reached for her patience. She had a small child. She could do this. “Where is the guy with the glasses? Chris is gone. He should be here to work. Where is he?”

“He quit this morning. He was screaming too high for us to really understand his words. He was crying too. He threw things at Chris and ran out the door. That usually means ‘fuck you I quit’ in human. He’s not coming back.” 

"Excuse me. I'll be back in a moment. I need a bathroom break." It went against all of her long ago training to just announce that to the store in general. But it didn't seem that she was going to get the chance to go to the bathroom any other way. And she was a hair away from doing the pee-pee dance. That and she needed to get a good grip on her…something. Either sense of humor or sanity. Sense of humor would actually be the best thing to use.

She turned to the Wolfgard. "I will be back. You can check them out while I am gone. Or all of you can wait till I get back." 

The shifter looked at the line. "They will wait." 

Brigid rolled her eyes. "I won't be long." 

She walked quickly to the bathroom, took care of business, washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. "How the hell did I get into this? Why me? Of all the people in the store human and Other alike why is it they pick on ME? Oh quit whining. He pays you. Very well for very little effort on your part. I really need to ask the man for a job. And a place to live. And by the way, can my son sleep under the table while I work and your Wolf babysit him? Wouldn’t that be the most interesting job interview ever.” 

She shrugged and went back to finish checking out the line of people that had put several feet between them and the counter. Until she walked back up. The shifter moved the stool firmly back as far away from the counter as he could get and sat back down with a scowl. With an air of one gravely put upon, he opened his book back up and started reading. 

Brigid glanced over at Alex once again. He was now curled on the floor on his side. Still sleeping. She was grateful for several reasons. It made it less boring for him to be here if he could get some sleep. Last night the fighting had been vicious. Between her husband and his mistress. Between her husband and his father. The mistress and everyone. 

They could hear the screaming and shouting. It had continued well into dawn. Neither of them had gotten much sleep. They had crept out as soon as they could. They had taken a brief nap in the car once they had managed breakfast. 

She was fine for awhile longer. It was telling on her but she could manage. It had been a very long time since she had stood in one place this long. 

The Security Wolf was now laying close enough to her son that they were touching. The sun had gone behind the clouds that were gathering. The temperature was dropping. That kind of worried her. They were warm and dry for the present. They had spent the night in her car before but tonight wouldn't be a good night for it. 

The bell over the door jingled. It was now automatic. "Welcome to The Bookstore." She looked up. Solid. Golden hair and skin. Icy blue eyes. Chris had finally shown up. Oh rapture. Oh joy. Maybe. Oh yeah maybe she could finally stop checking. The humans made room for him to pass through. 

The Wolfgard was off the stool clutching his books and by Chris’ side in seconds. Inhuman speed. They had a brief very intense discussion. About her. The Wolfgard was pointing to her and nodding and then held up three fingers. Chris looked thoughtful. 

Evidently he agreed to finger number one which made the Wolfgard very happy. Finger number two seemed to involve more discussion. Chris pointed to Melissa. Wolfgard was not happy to go talk to her. Finger number three had them looking at Alex and the Wolf. That got a shrug from both of them. As Chris was looking at Alex, the Wolfgard slid out the door. Wow, was that ever a pissed look on Chris’ face. He nodded at her and then went to the Café. 

He wasn’t over there long. Melissa’s gleeful cackling followed him back into the Bookstore. 

Brigid expected him to come over and take over the register.

He glanced over at her son but didn't approach. He went to another section and began to fill orders from the new books that had come in. Evidently she was still checking. What was this? The job everyone hated? It wasn't that freaking hard. 

The weather grew worse and the last of the customers went out the door. 

Chris walked over and flipped the sign to closed. 

The sun flickered very briefly through the clouds. His golden blond hair was highlighted. She had thought he was really good looking when she had first started coming to The Bookstore. Blond hair, intense blue eyes, chiseled good looks. The grumpy attitude that just wouldn't quit kind of killed any thought of him being attractive. Dangerous...very. Snarly, surly...it wasn't a surprise that his other shape was a wolf. 

She took a deep breath and stood her ground as he walked over. He had always been kind to them. The Bookstore had become their sanctuary. That didn’t mean that most of the time he didn’t make her nervous as hell. Men made her cautious. Her experiences in the human world had taught her to be less than trusting. 

After almost a year, this Wolfgard male was making her think that maybe some males could be trustworthy. Still. Up close and personal she always wanted to check and make sure that her antiperspirant wasn’t failing. 

He pulled the till total from the register and put it on the counter. He handed her a piece of paper and a pen. 

She counted down the drawer and added it up. She was a couple of coins over. He grunted and handed her a bag. "$100.00" 

"Excuse me?"

"It starts out with $100.00." 

Brigid used the calculator to figure out the deposit. She kept all of the change and the small bills. It was coming back to her all too quickly. The joys of working retail. It stuck with you forever no matter where you went or what you did after. 

"You and the boy go next door to eat. Come back when you are done." He took the deposit and walked off.   
Okay, she had never stayed here this late. Well not semi-working here staying late. He paid in cash. She knew of a Bed and Breakfast where she and Alex could spend the night. She just could not face going back after last night. She just couldn’t handle one more scream-fest from her family. 

The wolf moved so she could wake up Alex. He was warm when she touched him gently to wake him. Evidently large black wolves made excellent insulation from the weather. Imagine that. 

They gathered up their things and walked through the archway to the attached cafe. She ordered soup and a sandwich plus a drink for both of them. When she reached for her purse the cashier shook her head. "You worked. You eat."

At this point, Brigid wasn't about to argue. Five hours straight was more than a good enough trade for a meal.

She and Alex sat and began to eat. Part of her was beginning to relax. She was beginning to feel an odd sense of safety. In the most unlikely of places. 

She watched the huddle next door.

The Security Wolf shifted into skin, walked over to the small room behind the counter and then came back a few moments later wearing clothes. 

The two girls had brought over their food to eat with her and Alex. They were human as well. It made her feel better that she wasn't the only one with mouth open in...shock. He was a walking heart attack. Golden brown hair and skin. A body that was just. Wow. Brigid patted her mouth with her napkin and took a drink of her nice cold water. 

The two girls looked at each other. "I think my ovaries just melted." 

"Sam." The owner greeted the golden young Wolfgard.

"Chris." 

And now Brigid knew his name. Sam the Security Wolf. She could see the faint smile on her son’s face. That was going to be a whole book now that he had a name for ‘Wolfie’ that they were both willing to say in public. 

She watched as Others drifted in. 

Pretty Wolf-boy. The sometimes bane of her existence and the person she owed..more than she could ever repay for what she knew he had done. What she suspected he had done…He was not someone to cross in any form. He was greeted as "Dean." Brigid studied him as she ate. He was usually either behind her or moving. It didn’t make for good opportunities to just look at him. She could see why he had the snarl. He was just this side of pretty. It would be a mistake to think of him that way as there was absolutely nothing soft about him. 

Melissa went over after she had told the girls to eat then wait.

They moved to the other side of the store. 

"I guess they will come and tell us what they decide when they are done. Hi, I'm Maggie and this is Margie. So. Tell us your side of what happened today. We were busy and didn't get the chance to really get the scoop on what was happening over there." 

Brigid leaned back and started filling in the details of her most interesting day.


	2. The Job No One Wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, we do have cameos...Sam and Dean are exactly who you are thinking of.

Chapter 2: The Job No One Wanted

Sam started out. “She has been coming here since the Courtyard opened. We know her. If you want to be honest about it, you trust her. More than you do any other human and more than some of our own. You have talked about wanting to hire her before. You have just never approached her.”  
“I didn’t know for sure that she would be willing to accept a job till Marko heard her talking to herself. She wants to work here. Have a place to live and someone to watch the boy. Melissa looked at the upstairs apartment that no one uses and says it will do.”

Melissa nodded. "She is more than good. She is fast and accurate at the register. She has been stuck behind the register to deal with the customers before but never for this length of time. I think she is capable of even more than we realize." I had Maggie take a break and go buy a book and then come back and give me an opinion. Maggie thinks that she has a good deal of business experience on a number of levels. She is very familiar with the workings of a bookstore. And the business of selling. She makes suggestions for books and other items. She mentioned that the weather was getting bad. They sell warm drinks next door and pastries. She mentioned that and the Humans started coming over to eat after they got their books. My girls started suggesting that the Bookstore was a wonderful place to spend some time out of the weather. They had a good selection. 

She got the name and phone number of people that wanted a book that currently couldn't be found at the store. No, she didn't know how this store ordered books. She was temporary help. The humans were fine with that. They made noises like they wanted her to stay.”

Sam nodded. "They were very happy to deal with her. Very happy. She is confident and calm. It makes them calm too. They do better with her than they do anyone else that you have ever hired. She’s better at it than you are and you know it." 

Dean was his usual blunt self. "No one likes the cash register. You don't want to do it all day long. You don’t have anyone since Twitchy ran out screaming and crying this morning. Bull-man lasted the longest. They just don’t belong here. She belongs. She has been coming for a year. Hire her.” 

“You need someone to do it when you have other things to do. You have tried Wolfgard. You have tried Humans. I think the Humans would work out better for now if you get some like Melissa's Humans. Brigid is more like that than some that have thought they wanted to work here. They thought it would be exciting to be around the Other. They didn't do well or stay long."

Chris was just proud that he hadn't eaten any of them. Melissa had pointed out how much paperwork there would be for eating an actual employee. 

He gave them his perspective. "She is the best of them that I have seen. Not just that we have gotten to work for us but the best over all. She knows what she is doing in a bookstore. She is GOOD with Humans. Not all Humans are good with their own kind much less adding in the Others. And on that thought we might have to work with her about smile with teeth when it comes to the Others." 

Sam grunted. "We may just have to get used to it from the Humans. It's just one of those stupid, weird things they do." 

Chris nodded. "Point. It is why we decided to allow the Humans in the Courtyards. To get used to those strange things they did. To learn to co-exist."

Sam added in more information. "I was watching her. The store was very busy today. Much busier than on average. I have no idea where some of those Humans came from and why they decided to come to the Bookstore. You can never tell with them. She had all those people in her face. They got up close to her. She didn't get upset. She didn't snarl. Smile. Smile. Chatter. Chatter. Always friendly. Always helpful. I can see and I did see how it worked well on the Humans and brought in money. The few Others that came through were fine with her. Toward the end she began to have a different style for the Others than she used for the Humans. She went from one to the other easily and it didn't seem...forced. I don't know if it is a Brigid thing or it can be taught and learned. I can certainly see how it would be the way for the cash register person to act." 

Melissa spoke up. "If you don't want her then I want her for the Cafe'. She is better at the bookstore for selling books but she could sell food also. My business picked up as Brigid started pointing out how nice warm drinks and food were on a cold day. She a human that understands business like human's do it. There are parts of this business thing that...we need to learn or at the least know about." 

Chris leaned back with eyes wide. “You mean that there are some things that aren’t in your Handbook?”  
Melissa snarled. “No they are not in my Revised and Expanded version.” 

Melissa looked at Chris and pointed out some things. "There is a small room behind the counter where the boy could stay while Brigid works. She seems to be afraid for him to be out of her sight. She isn't afraid of the Others. Not just them being around her and the cub. Respectful yes but not afraid. She came in smelling tired and afraid. It was what she brought with her from the world outside the Courtyard. She has a child but I don't smell mate on her. I don't think that I ever have. The boy-child doesn't have the smell of adult male on him either." She looked at Sam who tended to be closer to them than anyone else on a regular basis. 

Sam shook his head. "No. I don't think that I have ever scented mate of male on them. The boy smelled tired, fear, sad today. He curled under the table. Like a cub looking for the safety of a den." 

It was a well know fact that Melissa had lost her first mate. He had been killed saving their son. The second male she had taken up with.... her mind had been clouded by loneliness and pain. She very quickly rectified that mistake. Permanently. She was very sympathetic to a woman alone with a small child. It was wonderful that taking Brigid in was also good business. So it didn't surprise anyone when she nailed Chris with a look. "She came to your place first. Do you claim her? If not them I am claiming her." 

Chris declared Brigid was his. 

For all the good it did him. Melissa took back over....she had plans. That was fine. He was more battle strategy than people strategy anyway. 

“She will stay in the apartment that no one uses. If she and the cub are safe they will stay. I think that is what she has wanted for some time but we aren’t good at reading humans. She is not happy at the place outside where she and the cub go. They smell afraid.” 

"She is Second material. She will step in and up when there was no leader. That was a valuable thing. She did her best today to make sure she followed the rules that the leader set to the best of her knowledge. It is very good to have a Human that can be a strong Second that followed rules. It was better for everyone. More and more of the Humans are coming to the Courtyard. I don't think I actually understood that they would come in the numbers that they are showing up in. 

"Brigid helped the humans understand that the Others had rules. It was wise for the Humans to obey the rules. It made dealing with the Humans more tolerable. More tolerable Humans meant less of them died. Supposedly that was a good thing." 

Chris sighed. "Fine. Now that you have decided her life for her, I need to find another person who is willing to learn Brigid Cash Registering. I think I have an idea about that.” 

The Others looked around the table and nodded their agreement. Now they just had to go and share what they had decided for her.


	3. A Place To Call Our Own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part brings out the 'Written In Red' Universe.

Brigid and Alex were finishing their meal when Chris came to sit at the table with them. Maggie and Margie had finished and started closing the Cafe. They were almost done and getting ready to leave with a rather worried look outside the window. 

Melissa came over and put a set of keys on the table. 

Brigid looked at her confused. "What are the keys for?"

"The room upstairs where you and the cub can sleep tonight. Maggie and Margie are staying tonight. The weather is bad. They will help you find the things to make up the beds. I am gathering things that did not sell for all of you to take upstairs. It is not weather for humans to go outside for food." Melissa walked off. 

"Okay."

Chris handed her an envelope. "You worked hard today. Tomorrow you will work hard also. The boy can stay in the room behind the counter." His eyes flicked over to the curly haired woman packing food. "Melissa has decided." 

There was a mutual lip lift at the comment. 

He picked back up the thread of his ...explanation on how things were going to be. "He will be close. He will be watched. I will meet you at 9:00 a.m. to let you in the store. You will work the cash register. You did very good today. Melissa will feed you and the boy for lunch. There is a small kitchen in the room upstairs where you will be staying. You can cook. Someone will show you where to buy groceries after work." He nodded and left to finish shutting down The Bookstore. 

Maggie and Margie came over. "Well, I guess things have been decided. We have some snacks. Melissa will finish up here. Come on. We will get you settled in. We can find some things for you to wear to sleep in and something for work tomorrow. Does he have any extra clothes? I don't know that we can find anything that small quickly."

Brigid looked at them and then over at Alex. 

(We get to stay? We don't have to go back there?) he signed. 

She was almost decided to just go with the unexpected windfall no questions asked from the words 'back there'. Not home or the house but 'back there'. 

"Could you tell me more about what is going on?" 

Maggie and Margie looked at each other. Maggie shrugged and started talking. "Beacon Hills Courtyard is a kind of experiment. While the shops in our Market Square are exclusively for the Others and their human employees, the businesses facing the Crowfield Avenue have hours when they are open to the Humans in general. The Bookstore and Cafe' are two of those businesses. There is also a fitness center that has a few memberships available to humans, the seamstress/tailor shop, and a gallery on Main Street which is open to anyone when it's open at all.

"There is a little bit of most everything in Market Square, but not a lot of anything. There is a plaza a few blocks from here that serves the Humans who live in this part of Beacon Hills. It has all sorts of stores and more variety of merchandise. A Courtyard bus provides transportation twice a week for anyone that wants to shop there. 

"This is a Courtyard. I'll explain it to you as it was explained to me. But kinder. The female that hired us scared the shit out of us. We really needed jobs. We had thought to try for the Human Liaison position. No matter how bad you might think that Chris is in relating to humans there are those..." she physically shuddered. 

This was how Kate viewed humans and how she described the Human Liaison position. 

By the agreements established between Humans and Terra Indigene every city in Thaisia has a Courtyard, a tract of land where the Others reside. These Courtyards are also places where products manufactured by humans can be acquired. But humans don't trust the Others and we don't trust humans. 

A lot of the products are delivered by humans, there were enough incidents early on to convince the human government and our leaders that it was prudent to have someone receiving the mail and packages who was not inclined to eat the messenger. So a receiving area was built at each Courtyard and is manned by someone who acts as the liaison between the humans and the Others. Each Courtyard's Business Association decides on the pay and perks. 

By the agreement, the human government is required to penalize any delivery service that refuses to deliver merchandise to a Courtyard. On the other hand, there is a limited period of time when the position of Human Liaison can be unoccupied before companies can refuse to enter our land without penalty. Those kind of interruptions tend to fray the tolerance each side has for the other. And when tolerance frays, people tend to die. Sometimes a lot of people die. 

Remember this. We are the ones you can see, but we are not the only ones who are here. Some it will be the last thing you ever see. 

We were fortunate that Melissa wandered through looking for help at The Cafe. With her we don't have to wonder if we will be serving dinner or we will BE dinner. 

You will see the initials H.L.D.N.A. around the Courtyard. That stands for Human Laws Do Not Apply. 

"You have been hired to manage the check out at The Bookstore. The Others tend to have a more...unique.... way of handling job applications and employment. Getting thrown in the deep end is pretty typical for them. 

The Others tend to hate cashiering. We see the two of you around a lot. A lot more than we would if you had a life outside the Courtyard that you liked. If you are looking to get away, this is a good place to do it. The Others are fair in their own way. It can be a kind of brutal fairness but you have no doubts of where you stand with them and they don't stab you in the back. You have been offered a chance at a new life. You work hard. You play by their rules. You will be taken care of. That includes humans coming here trying to cause you trouble. They will deal with that for you. Sometimes whether you want them to or not.

There aren't that many human children that come here. Very few. There are no human children that live in the Courtyard. The Others are very protective of the young. He would probably be safer here than most anywhere else. Anybody messes with him. Well. It won't be pretty. If you are in a bad situation and you want out..here is your chance. You just have to have the guts to take it." 

Brigid felt stunned. She looked over at Alex. 

(I want to stay here. I won't be any trouble. I don't want to go back there. They don't like me. I don't want to go back.)

That pretty much decided her. "Fine. Let me go out to the car and get our things. I have been wanting out for awhile. I just never considered a Courtyard when I was trying to find a place to go." 

The girls went with them outside and showed Brigid where to park her car. It was getting nastier by the minute. They went as quickly as they could to gather up what they would need for the night along with what Melissa had sent them with. They carried the things from the car up to the room that was evidently going to be their home for the next... however long.

Maggie checked the key. "You are at the back. I haven't been in that one." 

It was a spacious place. It had brick columns instead of interior walls. It was more than big enough for both of them to have some room. It was all one room except for the bathroom. Alex checked out everything. Signing to himself and them as he went. 

The girls left them to start settling in. 

Brigid hoped to settle in. She wanted a safe place. For her son and for herself. To not have to worry about her husband's temper. His mistress' machinations. They would be glad that the two of them were gone. Almost as glad as she and Alex were to be gone. She would work as hard and as long as she had to in order for them to be able to stay here. Maybe one day they would even be able to have a life. 

She didn't know what she was going to do about school. How was she going to take care of Alex while she worked in The Bookstore. He was a quiet child but having to stay in one room for extended periods of time. Well crap. It wouldn't be that different. They had been staying to themselves for years. Ever since the accident and him getting out of the hospital. She would be able to pay him enough attention to ... To what she didn't know. Did they have a school here? For humans? She was afraid of putting him in a human school. She had been home-schooling him. The half a year that he had been in Kindergarten had been horrible. School hadn't been a haven away from home. It had just been more bullying and upset. She had taken him out and that had been the end of it. 

He could already read. They had 'written' books together. That had been the one thing that had caused her to almost go after Mistress with a fire place poker. She had been burning Alex's book. He would draw the pictures. They would decide what should be written and she would print the words. He would go back over his books and 'read' the words to her. 

The Bitch had gotten mad about something. It was when she and Alex had still come downstairs to dinner. It was afterward while the drinking, back biting and so called socializing was going on. Alex had been 'reading' to her in his raspy voice. 

Bitch had grabbed the book out of his hand and thrown it in the fire. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. You sound like some sort of stupid animal." 

He had burned his hands getting the book out of the fire. 

Brigid had taken him to the hospital to be treated. For once no one got in her way. They weren't bad burns. Not as bad as they could have been. But they were painful. It had also been the last time he had spoken in public. The last time they had joined the 'family' for any meal. 

He was afraid of fireplaces. 

She was surprised even though he had been injured in a car wreck he was not afraid of cars. But then them had spent enough time in them. Having his 'important' things in the car made him feel better than having them in 'his' room where at any time someone could go through them. 

She looked over at the plastic tote that contained his 'library'. He valued that over most anything else. It was a pathetic way to live. Carrying one's world around in the trunk of their car. Always making sure to have enough food, water and clothes to not have to go 'back there'. Pillows and quilts for each in the back seat. An over-stuffed 'gym' bag for their yoga class for each of them. How many people had a gym bag that contained enough clothes for a week, shampoo, soap, towels and wash cloths along with wipes for quick clean up. 

Her family was wealthy. Her husband's family was wealthier. Why the fuck were they living and thinking almost like homeless people? 

"Because we don't have a a home. We just have a place that we stay. Sometimes. We have 'back there' that isn't a house or a home."

Alex looked over at her.

She shook her head at him. "Thinking. Hoping. Maybe this can be our home. It has the two of us. That is all that we really need to make a home." She picked him up and cuddled him. "Let's go ahead and put some of our things away. Then we can read for a little while before we go to bed. Sometime this week we can work on writing another of the books that you have illustrated. How is that?"

Alex's grin was bright and happy. It took so little to make him happy. 

A place to call their own would make both of them very, very happy.


	4. First Real Day On The Job

Brigid had set the alarm for 7:00 a.m. to make certain that they would both be ready to meet with Chris at 9:00 a.m. Snarl Wolf would be extra snarly if they were late. Regular snarl was bad enough. 

They ate, tidied the room and decided what needed to go in Alex's back pack. Snacks, water, clothes and his drawing supplies. They took his extra thick 'yoga' mat, a blanket and pillow. He had a couple of his 'books' that he had 'written'. Hopefully that would be enough to keep him occupied until she found out how long her shift would be. 

She could feel her nerves tighten. Melissa seemed to have things under control. She seemed to know about young boys. She had sent over drinks and snacks for him yesterday when she had brought something for her. Nothing too sweet that would have him bouncing off the walls. Just when she had been feeling weighed under by what was going on, a chocolate snack cut into bite sized pieces had appeared by her register. It had helped her make it through till Chris had closed the store. 

The girls gathered them up before 9:00 a.m. and they all went downstairs. 

Chris showed up a couple of minutes after Melissa had let them into The Cafe'. 

He opened up the gate between the two stores. 

The table that Alex usually sat and played and drew on had been moved. She had rather wondered at the small children's section to the Bookstore. She had never seen any children there except for her own. It was a fairly large two level table. One section for play that had some toys and the other that had a couple of small chairs. That was where he sat to draw. It was now in the small room behind the counter. It had most likely been intended as an office. At the moment it was an empty room. Brigid unpacked his mat, pillow and blankets. She left him to arrange his own supplies to his satisfaction. 

A slender, dark-haired girl walked in through the back door. Chris turned and nodded to her. "This is Allison. She is willing to learn. You will teach her."

"What exactly am I teaching her? This is my first day on the job. How to run a cash register?" Brigid was confused.

Allison stepped closer. "My father has been watching you for some time. He said you were very good at dealing with the Humans." 

"Okay. Your father?"

Allison pointed at Chris. 

Brigid was less than reassured. She knew that she had been watched. Every human with a brain that worked that came into the Courtyard knew that. It was the first time that she had ever heard it stated so bluntly. 

"We have had humans work here and other places. Not all of them were good at dealing with other humans. Even fewer were good at dealing with Other. You seem to be strong in both areas. That is what you are to teach me." 

Brigid looked at her. Movement caught her eye and she saw Maggie, Margie and Melissa standing in the archway. She made eye contact with Maggie and Margie. "Customer service skills?" 

Melissa looked intrigued. "I have heard of this but no one can explain it well. What is customer service?"

Between Chris and Melissa she only had hopes for one of them to master 'customer service'. 

Brigid sighed. "Oh hell." and winced. "It's hard to define. It comes down to making the customers feel valued and appreciated so they will keep coming back and spend money with you. They also do 'word of mouth' advertising for you which means that they tell their friends to come and shop at your store because they feel as if you like them so they like you back."

Allison tilted her head in a lupine manner. "Is it hard to learn?"

Brigid laughed briefly. "It seems to be for some people. I have had good customer service when I have gone into stores and I have had some very, bad customer service. Bad service is when the customers feel like the people in the store don't want them there and don't want their money." 

"But sometimes we don't want them here!" Allison was honest. 

The Other's heads nodded and the humans shook their heads. 

"You might feel that way but you can't let the humans know that. If you can't like them then you need to learn how to be polite and helpful so they will spend money and then go away and you will both be happy with the interaction." 

Brigid looked at the Others. "I can show you what I do. I can tell you why I do the things that I do. At least I think I can. You will have to find your own way to do customer service. Just mimicking me isn't going to get you into the right mindset. I am probably going to regret this example. All of you know how to hunt?" 

She looked at the Others nodding their heads. "Someone taught you how to hunt. The way to stalk and pounce. The more you practiced the more you found the best way for you to hunt. Do you understand what I mean about you have to learn the best way for you to deal with customers like you had to practice and learn the best way for you to hunt?" 

The smiles that she got back were not reassuring. Maybe she should point out they were hunting for money. They needed to get the humans to give them money. Willingly. The willingly was a key part. Maybe she was in way over her head trying to teach customer service to Others. She looked at Melissa shooing the girls back to her side. Melissa would probably pick up on the concepts quickly.

Allison was young. Hopefully she wasn't too much of her father's daughter. 

Her father. Christopher Argent Wolfgard. There was something to be said about the excitement of danger doing a good deal to attract customers. As long as things didn't get too exciting she would be fine. She hoped.


	5. Still Waters

About lunch time Brigid and Allison were getting used to each other. She was indeed her father's daughter but with less snarl. 

Allison was picking up on how to put humans at ease quickly. She was a rather sweet girl by nature. She could be funny even though her Other sense of humor and Brigid's didn't always mesh. She would sense that Brigid had become upset by something she had said. Allison would touch or stroke her hand or wrist. More communication was done non-verbally than verbally. 

Brigid hadn't figured that part out. Allison's physical closeness to her. The Others kept their distance from the humans. The humans were encouraged to keep their distance in return. Initiating contact was not a particularly good idea. 

Chris sent them to eat about 11:00 a.m. before the lunch crowd hit. 

Allison, Alex and Brigid were sitting in The Cafe when a young man came wandering through. Melissa fixed him a plate, pulled him down by his shirt so she could speak into his ear and shooed him out of her way. He looked wistfully at Allison. She eagerly gestured him to come to the table and scooted over to make room for him. 

"This is Scott." 

Brigid thought... first love. She smiled and introduced herself and Alex. Shaking hands wasn't an Other custom so Scott just nodded and said hello.

He was about a head taller than Allison. Built more like a swimmer than a wrestler. There was no doubt in her mind that he was strong. Very strong even before you add in that he was Other. Dark brown hair that curled wildly and dark chocolate colored eyes. Olive skin that tanned easily. 

Allison chattered to him about her day and what she was learning as he ate. He seemed totally interested. Totally smitten. 

Alex watched him curious. He didn't seem as wary of the young man as he generally was of strange males. 

Scott watched Alex back but never made direct eye-contact. He slumped in his seat. He had a soft, baritone that was slightly unexpected somehow. He came across to her as basically a very gentle person. 

They finished their food and went back next door to work. Scott went with them. There was a fair amount of space behind the counter. Scott scrunched himself near the door way of the office. He had plain and colored pieces of paper with him. When Brigid looked back later because both boys were quiet, not always a good thing with boys of any age. There was a growing line of origami animals in the doorway. Alex had drawn closer fascinated by the project. Wolf. Hawk. Crow. Bear. Cat. Two Ponies. A bat that always got a smirk out of Scott when he looked at it. 

Scott looked up and made eye contact and smiled. He pushed one of the animals toward Alex with a fingertip. Hesitantly Alex picked it up. Scott laid flat on the floor and began to play with one of the animals. He pushed some of the animals toward Alex. 

Alex wanted more ponies. He managed to get the point across to Scott. Various colors of paper were offered for Alex to decide what colors he wanted his ponies. Black and brown were picked out. One of each was made. After that he seemed to have something more specific in mind. He brought his pencils over and showed Scott the honey gold pencil. Scott picked out several white pieces of paper. He folded slowly so Alex could see what he was doing. 

Allison nudged Scott inside the room so there would be more walking space outside. That was fine with Alex. He was comfortable with Scott in his space. He helped move their supplies. 

Brigid notice that Scott never stood up to move. It was more of a low crawl. 

Scott showed Alex how to make what seemed to be simplifed versions of dogs, cats and birds. That was probably not what they represented but that is what they looked like to her. 

Alex was draped across his shoulder watching. He could do the simple folds. They had a number of dogs, cats and birds to color. They were in a pile.

When Scott changed to some of the more intricate animals Alex was hopelessly out classed. It was fascinating for Brigid to watch as Scott created a horse. Strenght she expected. She didn't expect the delicacy of his touch. 

Scott seemed to have settled in for the day. She was grateful that Alex had company. Company that seemed to make him feel...safe?

Later, a soft sound from Allison caught her attention. She looked into the room. Alex had fallen asleep. Draped across Scott's back. Scott was just laying there, watching what he could see of the world outside of the room. He seemed quite content to play pillow. He had been so very amazingly good natured about keeping Alex company. This was definitely above and beyond. It was time to give him a break. 

Brigid walked in. "He sleeps pretty sound. Let me get a pillow and a blanket and I'll get him moved so you can get up. Thank you so very much for keeping him company." 

Scott shook his head. "I was here when he went to sleep. I'll be here when he wakes up." 

Those words meant more to her that she could possibly express. There had been so little predictability and stability in Alex's world especially with people. 

She had brought both 'yoga mats' down stairs. She spread them out side by side near where they were laying. Scott shifted out from under Alex. He put them on top of each other. Gently he moved the sleeping boy to the pallet and covered him with a quilt. Slid one pillow under Alex's head and curled around him using the second pillow. 

She was touched more than she wanted to ... admit. 

Brigid took the second quilt and knelt to cover Scott. Before she thought about it, she carded her fingers through his dark curly hair. She froze wondering if she had transgressed. He seemed to understand. He closed his eyes and pushed into her touch like a dog wanting to be petted. He wasn't a dog though. He wasn't tame. He was Other and she would be best not to forget that again. 

She got up and went back to the counter. 

Chris watched her dealing with them. He walked over. "Is Scott being there a problem? He can be told to leave and stay away from Alex." 

"Alex isn't afraid of him." 

Both Chris and Allison looked at her. 

"No you don't understand. Alex is very cautious around people he doesn't know. Much more so if they are male." 

Chris snorted "Scott is a puppy." 

Allison glared at him. 

Brigid watched her son and the young man with him. "Is he? Are you really that sure? I'm not." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Puppies don't think about anyone but themselves. What they need or want." 

"So?"

"Scott came because he has a crush on Allison. He stayed because he is being kind to a lonely little boy that... I don't think I want to go there. Anyway, he was patient. He stayed on 'his' side of the door until Alex came to him. He allowed Alex to initiate the contact. He made the animals to give Alex something to play with and to give them something to do together. A way to play." 

"A playmate on his level." Chris muttered. 

There was a low growl from Allison. 

Brigid looked at Chris. "You are a smart man. Try acting like one." 

There were soft snorts of laughter from several directions. 

"Scott is having to work harder to find a level where he and Alex can play. How many Other's Alex's age will sit and make origami animals? Not play with them but make and color them? You don't have to give away any information but I don't imagine that there are many. I would imagine that they are much more physical than Alex is used to being. You have seen it. Alex's left side is weaker from the accident. Scott is having to adapt for that. He is really good with Alex. In my eyes that makes him a good and kind person. That's more than I can say for many people and some of them are in the store now." 

Chris glared at her and Brigid glared back. 

Chris snorted "Females." and walked off. 

Allison was looking at Scott and Alex with a confused expression on her face. "Scott is a simple person. Pretty much what you see is what you get." 

Brigid made a non-committal sound. 

The store was empty for the moment. Of human customers. 

Allison turned her attention to Brigid. "You don't agree." 

"I think simplicity is deceptive. You can look at a pond and think that all it is ..water in a hole in the ground. If the wind isn't blowing then it is still and quiet. Do you have any idea just by looking how deep it is? What lies beneath it's surface? It's actually pretty easy to posture and play tough. To show gentleness is a test of real strength. To give comfort to another not of your kind just because they need it is.... exceptional." Brigid walked away and left Allison to think. 

It also had the same effect on the Others that were listening. The woman in the next room was surprised. And touched. Brigid had come to her son's defense. She would remember that. Melissa went back to work.


	6. Conversation With Melissa

Brigid wanted to cry when the bite sized chocolate snacks appeared at the register. There were four containers. Four labeled containers. Chocolate would help. Since she didn't currently have a prescription for Valium. 

Allison caught on quickly about smile at the humans. Smile. NOT show teeth. There was a difference. Ask them if they found everything they were looking for. Don't glare if they told you "No." ASK them what they were interested in. Tell them where it was if the item was available in the store. If not offer to order it for them. Allison evidently liked to read and had a good idea of what was located where. She was much more familiar with the store than Brigid was. That would have to change. . 

There was a brief snarl-fest between father and daughter about the ordering. Chris was busy getting the orders ready that had come in. He didn't want to stop what he was doing. Allison was determined to give 'good customer service'. The poor customer was torn between laughing hysterically and running. There was something...ironic... about how the words 'good customer service' sounded in a guttural snarl through clenched teeth. 

Chris threw the order catalog at her. Allison caught it easily with a triumphant snarl. The woman, who had bought the first two volumes that were in the store of a series and wanted the next two they did not have in, nearly wet herself. Allison did know how to find books in the catalog. She knew where the forms were to order. Brigid was amused to see the older human woman and the young Wolfgard working shoulder to shoulder to get the form filled out correctly. They were so very pleased with themselves when the finished. Allison announced "I will call you when it comes. Thank you for giving us money. Have a nice day." 

The woman looked ... floored... for a moment before she recovered with..."Thank you for ordering the books for me. You have a nice day too dear." 

"You should go and have some hot chocolate. Melissa makes very good chocolate. She has other good things. It would be a good place to spend more money...Brigid WHY are you waving at me? Do you need to go and pee?" 

Discretion was the better part of valor at this point. "Yes I do." 

"Go pee. I will do the cash register. I am getting very good at smile not snarl and taking money nicely." 

Brigid fled to the bathroom. The comment that the Others were brutally honest had been an understatement. 

It took her a few moments to pee and get herself back together. Maybe some role playing would help. It could all still go south quickly but there would be less witnesses. Maybe. There would be less human witnesses. Maybe she should just say the hell with it. There was the entertainment factor of the totally unexpected to consider. They were Other. She wasn't trying to change them into Human. She had forgotten that. If there was one fact that should never ever be forgotten it was the fact that they were Other. 

Okay. She could do this. They would still role play. It would be interesting if nothing else. 

Allison showed no interest in giving up the cash register. "We have new books to put out. You can help the customers find the books BEFORE they come to check out and I have to stop and tell them where to go." She looked baffled at the snorts of laughter from the humans. "Brigid? Why are they laughing? I didn't make a joke. I remember that Other humor sometimes has a bite that humans don't like." 

"I'll explain later. It was inadvertent humor. You didn't mean to say anything funny but there are some things. I'm not actually sure how to explain that come to think of it. How about some times people, whether human or Other, are just weird and leave it at that." 

"But they laughed. All the humans laughed. I just want to know why." There was very much a whine in the girl's voice. 

Two very brave souls tried to explain human related humor to a Wolfgard. Allison was happy that they bought chocolate bites for them and for her. It made a head-throbbing conversation about expectations and perceptions much more tolerable. They ate their chocolate bites together. About half an hour later Allison made the announcement... "It was subtle humor. Wolfgard doesn't do subtle that is why it was funny." 

Brigid stepped around the corner and muffled her snickers the best she could. Wolfgard doesn't do subtle. Truer words were never spoken. 

Allison was learning though. She was amazingly good humored about the process. She had a kind of disconcerting cheer that was better than snarling. Most of the time. Humans were used to being snarled at. The cheerfulness was...unnerving. 

She made a detour behind the counter to check on Scott and Alex. Someone had provided more pillows. Scott was propped up reading with Alex sprawled across his chest still sleeping. Alex seemed flushed. Brigid knelt to check his temperature. 

Scott asked "Does he need the blanket folded? How warm does he need to stay?" 

Brigid looked at Scott confused. Then she really looked. At the sweat that was dampening his hair. She forgot what she had promised herself and brushed the hair away from his forehead with both hands. She felt his forehead then checked his pulse in his throat. "Are you feeling alright? Do you have a fever?" 

He looked at her in amusement. "I'm HOT." 

Her brain kicked in. "And I'm an idiot. Here. Let me move him to the side. He will be just fine sleeping under one layer of the quilt. I folded it because he gets cold easy. I wasn't thinking about the fact that you would be under there with him." 

Scott eased the boy off of him and onto the mat. He moved off to the side. His chest was soaked with sweat. "He is going to need a new shirt when he wakes up. He's about as wet as I am."

Alex began to stir. He sat up groggily pushing the quilt aside. His hair where his face had been resting against Scott was wet. His shirt was clingy and damp with sweat. Alex pulled it away from him with a grimace of disgust. 

"Does he have another shirt?" Scott asked again. 

"Yes, I have a change of clothes in his bag." 

"Great. Come on cubling. Let's go and get cleaned up. We live above the Cafe. I have a small movie player. We can find some movies to watch when we are clean and bring them back down here." Scott stood, picked up Alex's bag then scooped up Alex all with inhuman grace. Alex wrapped his arms around Scott's neck and seemed to be on the verge of going back to sleep. Scott walked to the Cafe' still talking to Alex about what kind of movies he liked. 

Brigid just watched them walk away. In total disbelief. 

Chris and Allison looked at Brigid then each other. Melissa had come over when she heard Brigid asking if Scott had a fever. He was very rarely sick so she was surprised and concerned.

Now she was concerned about Brigid. She was too...something. 

Melissa sat on the floor in front of Brigid. "Brigid? You look funny. Scott will bring him back down when they have showered. And found a movie. Scott will take care of him. You don't have to worry about Alex being out of your sight. They are going up the inside stairs. Alex will not be in the cold." 

There was no real response from Brigid. 

Melissa looked at Chris and Allison for suggestions. 

"He didn't cry." The words....bothered the Others. It was something in the feelings under the words. 

"Who didn't cry? Why would...why would Alex cry?" Melissa was even less sure of what was going on. 

"Scott just picked him up." Brigid seemed stunned. 

"Are you angry that Scott picked him up?" Melissa could sort of understand that. Scott was Other and Alex was Human. 

Brigid finally looked at Melissa. "I'm freaking stunned that he COULD pick Alex up and not have Alex have a major panic attack. You don't understand. Sometimes he freaks if I touch him from behind if he doesn't know that I'm there. I always try to approach him from the front or call his name so he won't be scared. I have never picked him up with out some sort of ... I hold out my hands and ask 'up'? He reaches for me then I pick him up." 

"Scott didn't know. I am sorry." 

"No.No. No. Didn't you SEE? Alex was FINE with it. He didn't panic. He didn't stiffen up. He just kinda went ... OH~Okay it's you.... and went back to sleep."

Melissa's voice took on a deadly softness. "I think I am beginning to understand." She looked at Chris and Allison. "It is only an hour before the Bookstore closes. Chris and Allison will finish the day. You and I will go upstairs and have some tea. I think you need some very strong tea." She gathered Brigid up and got her to her feet. 

"But..."

"We will have strong tea." 

Chris and Allison vacated the room and found somewhere else to be. Allison was busy asking customers if they needed any help. Chris was very busy filling orders. 

Melissa told the girls to close the Cafe' and let her know when they were done. She would send Scott down to lock up. 

She escorted Brigid up the stairs to their apartment. 

It was a comfortable place. 

Melissa sat Brigid at the kitchen table and started making tea. "Scott's father was killed protecting him." 

"Oh. My. God. I'm so sorry." Brigid reached out to the other woman. 

Melissa took her hand. "I was lost and confused and hurting so very much. He was my everything. I didn't want to be alone. I was afraid to be alone. How would I take care of Scott on my own? I chose a male just so we wouldn't be all alone. He was not... he was not what I hoped and thought he would be. He resented Scott. He tried to...deal... with what he considered the competition for my attention." 

Brigid's hand clenched around Melissa's. 

"I dealt with him. Permanently." Melissa met Brigid's eyes and saw understanding and admiration. 

"I couldn't. I ran. I hid. My family has money but not as much as his has money and power. My family didn't want to interfere with our marriage. Alex is MINE just the same as if I were the one that carried him under my heart for nine months. He knows that he is the child of my heart rather than the child of my blood. I never kept that from him. His mother is my husband's mistress. She wants us gone. She has been more and more obvious about it since the accident. I have been planning and planning but I just didn't know WHERE. I couldn't go to my family. I couldn't count on his family for support. I have no real friends. I'll do what ever it takes to be able to stay here and keep my son safe." 

"And we will help you. You are no longer alone." Melissa squeezed her hands gently. "Now the tea is ready. Wash your face and we will drink tea and talk while the cublings watch a movie." 

"Is this going to be girl talk?" Scott's voice surprised Brigid. She turned to see him with Alex still draped over his shoulder. He was dressed in different clothes. Scott's hair was wet from his shower and he had on different jeans that had a hole in one knee. He was shirtless and barefoot. He moved into the room. "I'm thirsty and I don't think that he is going to be choosing a movie any time soon. He really is like a little monkey." He winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth. 

Brigid knew that the Others referred to Humans as clever monkeys. She also knew Scott hadn't meant to be mean or derogative. She laughed softly. "He has always wanted his own puppy." 

Melissa snorted with laughter. After a second of shock, Scott joined her. He sat at the table and shifted Alex around till they were both comfortable. 

Melissa poured a large cup of juice and put it in front of Scott. 

She poured tea for her and Brigid. 

Scott sat there thoughtfully. "Please write down Alex's father's name and the name of the woman." 

Brigid looked at him. He looked back at her calmly. "Why?"

"I doubt that you carry a picture of him. With a name Stiles can get a photo of him. And the woman. We will know what he looks like." 

There was more going on that Brigid could understand. Melissa looked thoughtful then got a pad and pencil from the counter and put it in front of Brigid. 

Brigid wrote their names on the pad. 

Scott looked at the names with a very faint smile. A smile that made Brigid realize that the young man gently cradling her son was a natural born predator. 

"I don't want any trouble. I am sure that they will...I am listed as Alex's mother on his birth certificate. We could just never go back. Disappear. He won't come near a Courtyard. Really." 

Scott looked at his mother. They both scooted closer to Brigid. He put Alex in her lap and put his arms around them both. "I'm not going to start anything. It will be good to know what he looks like to keep him away from Alex. If he is seen then we will make sure that Alex will not be where he can see Alex. We will not start anything." 

Scott met his mother's eyes over Brigid's head. They wouldn't be the ones to start any trouble. They would be the ones to finish it. Permanently. 

Melissa got the tea down Brigid and Scott coaxed Alex to drink some milk and honey. They were both tucked on the daybed to watch a movie. Melissa stayed with them while Scott went downstairs to close up the Cafe'. 

He brought food back up for supper. Maggie and Margie cleaned up and shut down. He made sure they had something to take home with them to eat. They lived together. They were together. They had an apartment close to the Courtyard where such things didn't matter. He made sure that they were in their vehicle safely. 

He called Stiles. "Come over and bring your laptop. I have some names for you to look up. Come on and I have something that you don't have to prepare to eat. Plan on spending the night." 

"Okay. That sounds ominous. Problem?" 

"Not for us." 

"Yeah. Right. That makes me feel so much better. I'll be there as soon as I can."


	7. Plans With Scott And Stiles

Scott heard the knock on the back door of The Cafe' that signified that it was Stiles. He went and opened the door and helped Stiles drag all of the shit that he thought that he needed to spend the night inside. They just piled it by the back door then Stiles dove into the food. 

"Did you eat today?"

"Yes mother. I ate today." 

"When did you eat and what did you eat?"

Stiles looked at Scott in disbelief. "What is going on? You haven't been this pack mother in a long time. Yes, I have waited too long to eat and I am hungry but I'm fine."

Scott told Stiles about what Brigid had said and what had been left unsaid. How they had been abused. The accident that left Alex damaged. What the woman and child were like. Stiles hadn't interacted with them. Scott had been around and been drafted into helping his mother enough that he knew Brigid and Alex by sight. Now he was getting to know more of them. Stiles was isolated to a great degree working at the Herb Store. Very, very few humans went there. 

Stiles and Brigid would like each other. Stiles would really like Alex. Scott was counting on that. Stiles had a strong protective drive. He had been on the receiving end of enough bullying that he didn't appreciate it. Even more so for a woman and small child. 

He handed Stiles the names and watched him use the system to find information on the husband and mistress. It didn't take long. The husband's family did have money. The woman had a reputation of liking money and power. 

They created a flyer to pass out about the two. It was doubtful that the woman would come but humans had been stupid before. 

"You do realize that you need to have them IN the Courtyard for whatever that it is you are planning to work. Where Human Law Does Not Apply. What makes you think that he isn't just going to let her go?"

"If she could have just taken Alex and left, she would have. Her family and his family wouldn't have hesitated to get involved. The very fact that they wanted no part of it means that the guy is an ass. He probably considers them property. He might not want them but he isn't going to want to let anyone else have them either."

Stiles munched his food. "You are probably right. He has to have someone to feel superior to. They were easy prey. Were being the operative word." 

"So how was the visit to your dad and his new wife? I'm glad that you got to go but I'm really glad that you are back."

"It was fine." 

Scott waited. Nothing more was forthcoming. "I don't think so. That would have opened up about an hour’s worth of dialogue if things had been fine. Now tell me how it really went." 

"She is pregnant again. The oldest boy is about six and should be starting school soon. The little girl is three. They are a happy family. My dad is happy which is all that I really care about."

"But you do care and it does bother you and I can keep asking all night long if I have to. So what happened or didn't happen." 

Stiles suddenly put his food down. All the pent up emotion came pouring out. "There is no place for me in the life that they have now. She isn't old enough to have a 19 year old son. She certainly is not happy that said step-son is a natural born Black Widow whose command of the Craft is stronger than hers. It is like she is afraid that I will taint HER children. It doesn't matter to her that they are MY brothers and sisters. In her eyes they have nothing to do with me. I have nothing of my father in me to her way of thinking. The Black Widow must have come from my mother's side." 

Stiles got up. His voice began to rise with his emotions. "What the fuck does she think I AM? What does she think that I am going to do to them? Even if they weren't my brother and sister they are freaking children. Children. What kind of ... monster does she think I am." Stiles eyes filled with tears. "Why doesn't my dad say something? He is one of the most observant people I know. How can he not see how she physically keeps us apart? The way she doesn't want me to touch them or them to touch me. She wanted me to wear captive gloves on my hands. Seriously? Does she have no freaking clue just how much of an insult that was? It wouldn't matter worth shit that she had married my father and had borne him children if it came out that she had mentioned that. I would have been within my rights to... never mind. Just never fucking mind.

"The most pathetic thing? I had been thinking about it. Not captive gloves but training gloves. I'm an only child. I've never really been around children that young. They are small and freaky. They dart at you. Throw themselves off of things and expect you to catch them. Lunge at you to be picked up. It reminded me of being attacked by those small Chichi dogs. It was nerve racking. I was going to get a pair and wear them while I was around them so I wouldn't accidently cut them as they launched themselves off of something at me."

Scott's jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. I would have worn gloves for my nerves but she had to be such a shit about it."

"Forget the gloves, they launch themselves at you? Chichi dogs? Your mother and mine would have taken turns beating manners into us and the stupid out if we had done something like that."

"It's different. She is different. She isn't mother. She isn't anything like my mother. Honestly, Dad isn't like the same person either. I don't really know the man anymore. He's not the father that raised me. I'm not going to cut him off and say I am never going back. But there is really no place for me at their table. I need to accept it and deal with it. I guess my family or what was left of it died when Teyla took me in. I became a Black Widow freak instead of a son." 

A sudden noise had Stiles spinning around defensively. Palms and black-tinted nails oriented on the source of the noise. 

The small boy facing him clapped his hands together again. Then he began making a series of gestures. 

"Stiles doesn't sign. We will learn but right now we don't know what you are saying. He has really, really good hearing. He can also read lips. Maybe if you whispered your questions to him he could answer them. Would you like to try?" Scott slid out of the chair and sat on the floor. "Sit Stiles." 

"What am I a freaking dog?" Stiles sat. 

"Any words that you don't know that come out of Stiles' mouth you need to talk to your mom or my mom about before you use them around other people. He has potty mouth." 

Stiles expressive face when through a series of contortions that were difficult to tie into any particular emotion. Offended was surely in there as a matter of course. The others weren't as easy to label. 

Alex nodded and made some gestures. 

"Do you want to whisper to Stiles or would you rather whisper to me?"

The small finger pointing to Scott was pretty clear as sign language went. Alex cautiously went around Stiles and went over to press against Scott's shoulder. Alex may have been six but he didn't have whispering down yet. His hands cupped around Scott's ear as he spoke meant, that he was whispering. "What's a Black Widow?" 

Stiles started at the sound of the damaged voice. 

"A Black Widow can use Craft which is kind of like magic. They are very, very good with herbs and healing things."

"Then why would she be scared of him? Why would he have to wear gloves? Are his hands always shiver cold?" 

Scott snorted with laughter. He cuddled one slightly offended little boy close because he didn't understand the humor. "It's funny that he has to wear gloves because his hands never get shiver cold. He has long fingernails. All Black Widows have them. It is a way that you know they are Black Widows." 

Alex just looked more confused. "Why gloves?"

"Because she is a silly female that thinks Stiles is a still needs diapers boy." Both Alex and Stiles looked at Scott like he had lost what tiny mind he possessed. 

"WHAT?" Stile's tenor almost hit the soprano range. 

"Come here Stiles and show Alex your hands." 

Throwing said hands up Stiles started to stand then thought better of it from the slight flinch from Alex. Instead he crawled over on his hands and knees. Thinking it would make him seem smaller and less predatory than standing up and towering over the boy. It didn't. Alex didn't flinch but then he also hadn't flinched when a full-grown Wolf had prowled toward him in the Bookstore. There wasn't that much difference in the grace of their moments. 

"Is he a wolf too?"

"No Stiles' other shape isn't Wolf." 

"He moves pretty." 

Scott snickered. Stiles seemed torn between amusement and... not knowing what to make of the child before him.

"Say thank you Stiles." Scott prompted.

"Thank you Stiles." Got a grin out of the little boy. 

"Show him your hands Stiles." 

Stiles offered Alex his left hand. The nails were darkly tinted and sharp. Stiles had blunted his nails with Craft the best he could but he could still do an incredible amount of damage. Scott pulled Stiles sharply making him lose his balance and crash into Scott. He moved Alex to his lap with the child's back to his chest. He cradled Stiles' hand in his. "His momma lets him paint his nails? Father says only... Father is a potty mouth too. If big boy Stiles can paint his nails can I paint mine? I like blue." He looked at Stiles "do you have blue polish?" 

It was rare that Stiles was speechless. It didn't last long either. "I don't have any on me. I can bring you some." 

Scott rolled his eyes. "Look. Examine his nails again." 

Alex looked confused but took Stiles hand and brought the nails closer to his face. He touched and turned Stiles' hand. He licked the nail on Stiles' index finger. 

Stiles' jaw dropped slightly when Alex chewed on his nail. "No. No. No. No nail-biting mine or yours. It's not a good thing to do."

"It doesn't come off. The color doesn't come off and they are really HARD." Alex was so proud of himself for figuring that out. 

Melissa and Brigid almost fell off the stairs trying to hold in the laughter. Scott had heard them following Alex when they realized where he was heading. Stiles had been the only one that was unaware. That in and of itself told Scott how upset Stiles was over the whole crapfest. 

"No the color is natural. It is part of letting people know that he is a Black Widow." Scott watched Alex. The boy wasn't so much biting as he was gently chewing on Stiles' nail. His eyes were closing slightly. He seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep. 

"Is he teething or something? He's old enough he shouldn't need suckie." Stiles eased his finger out of Alex's mouth which took on an adorable pout. 

Then what Stiles said seemed to register and Alex lost the pout and drew back. "Big boys don't suck their thumbs. It's a rule. You break the rule and you get swats." 

"One of your father's rules?" Scott's voice was dangerously gently. Alex only seemed to be picking up on the gentle part. 

"Yes Sir." 

"Father is an A-S-S-H-O-L-E." 

Alex looked confused. "Don't spell anything that Stiles spells without checking with the Moms?"

"Probably a good idea."

"What if I want him to help me write a book? He's funny." 

Brigid spoke from the stairs. "Stiles won't put any potty words in any books that the two of you write. Isn't that correct Stiles?"

"Yes Ma'am." Stiles made a face at Scott that said clearly "What The Fuck?"

"Momma?"

"Yes Alex." 

"What about potty face?"

Stiles let out an offended huff.

"If you can move your face like Stiles can move his I will be impressed instead of angry." 

Stiles looked at Scott. "Ouch. Burn."

"No!!! Where? Who burnded Stiles? Momma. Momma. Stiles burned. Stiles burned Momma!" There was an element of fear and hysteria in Alex's voice. He stood in Scott's lap and immediately began patting Stiles down looking for the burn while calling for his Momma.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Chill out Cubling. It's an expression. He didn't mean he was actually burned. He's fine." Scott quickly shifted his nuts out of the way of Alex's feet. 

"It's like a game of 'I'm gonna get you' but with words." Scott's explanation didn't help. Alex teared up. 

"NO. Gonna get you is bad. Gonna get you is mean. Gonna get you means hide." 

Stiles pulled Alex to him and wadded him up firmly against his chest. "Your father was an asshole that had no idea of how to play. Sorry. Sometimes you get Daddy's that are cool. Sometimes you get Fathers that are asswipes. You had a Father. You are done with him. We will find you a Daddy who will know how to do all sorts of things Momma's don't get because they're girls. Sorry but there it is. BUT till we find you a cool Daddy you get Scott and me. Brothers. We will teach you how to do boy stuff that is cool and the stuff that is just going to make the Moms lose their shit." 

Alex reached up and gently patted Stiles mouth. "Are your lips so red because of all the soap?" 

Brigid started laughing first. The others weren't far behind.


	8. Sleepover Suggestion

Brigid watched the two young males as they sat on the floor of the Cafe' and gently played with Alex.

Stiles was blowing against Alex's skin saying he was going to give him potty mouth germs. Alex was bewildered at first but quickly started giggling. Scott was urging Alex to blow on Stiles and give him the germs back.

It was amazing to watch them play with her son. They were careful and amazingly gentle. It was not how she would imagine that they would play with one of their own. Not in the least. They were having to be creative and were learning quickly.

She was more than willing to deal with potty mouth if it meant that her son now had two lethal creatures that considered him theirs. She, unlike her son, had heard of Black Widows.

She remembered the words from an old book.

_**Black Widows are known foremost for their ability to see visions. They do this by constructing Tangled Webs, through which they see both symbolic and actual images of the future which they must then interpret. They are also proficient with poisons and illusions. In addition, they have a poisonous snake tooth under the nail of the ring finger on their right hand. The power of the venom is in proportion to the power of the witch, and it has to be milked regularly, or the venom will crystallize and cause pain.** _

_**The hourglass was the Black Widows' symbol, both a declaration and a warning about the witch who wore it. An apprentice wore a pendant with the gold dust sealed in the top half of the glass. A journey maid’s pendant had the gold dust evenly divided between top and bottom. A fully trained Black Widow wore an hourglass with all the gold dust in the bottom chamber.** _

Brigid thought that she wouldn't be surprised to see that Stiles' hourglass was at the least at Journey man status. She thought it more likely that the young man cradling her son was a fully trained Black Widow.

He, like Scott, seemed to be an amazingly caring young man. Not only to those of his kind but those that would ordinarily considered weak and prey. She was grateful. She could have never predicted this when they had crept out of the house that morning. Not to be given a job. Not to be taken in and given a place to live. Not to have two people intent on taking care of her son. Taking care of him in a way she would never be able to despite how much she would do and risk for him.

The Courtyard was totally not what she had been lead to believe it was. It was much more. More dangerous. More safe. More like the home that she had been searching for a very long time. Was she right? Was she wrong? Making a mistake? With her life was one thing but what if she was making a mistake with Alex's. Was she stupid? Too trusting? Time to move away from such depressing thoughts.

Brigid spoke up. "I believe that there was the mention of watching movies earlier?"

Alex brightened up from his place in Stiles' arms. "Movies. You said watch movies." His voice was growing fainter and raspier.

Scott and Stiles exchanged a glance. They didn't know if having the boy talk was a good thing or a bad thing. Were they helping or was it going to make the situation worse. They or Scott knew he had been in an accident. He had no real idea of the damage done. The boy was weaker than he should be on one side. That was one thing that he had been intending to talk to Stiles about. Time to get some use out of all that training that Stiles had been put through.

In the meantime, he had a little boy that needed to start settling down. He could see the fatigue creeping in the fragile body and the expressive eyes. "You go on up Alex. Momma will show you were the movies are. You can pick one. Stiles and I will get his stuff upstairs. Once we get that done we can watch the movie. So can you take care of the movie part?"

Alex nodded eager to help. "I can carry some."

Stiles rose with disturbing ease and grace to his feet and carried Alex over to his things. "I didn't know Scott had company I brought enough for the weekend. Here, you can carry this bag."

Alex took the bag. "Sleepover? Some of the cousins had sleepovers. I wasn't invited. Could..." He stopped and seemed to shrink.

Stiles knelt and the fingers that he had curled into a loose fist under Alex's chin and nudged it upward. "Sleep over? What is a sleep over? It sounds like it might be fun."

"You all sleep in someone's bedroom. If there are many people then you make pallets on the floor. You watch movies, eat popcorn. You tell stories. But..."

"I'm listening."

"I don't like the scary stories in the dark."

"Good. I don't either. We will not have those for our sleep over."

Alex suddenly moved forward to hug Stiles. "I like having you for a brother." He let go and happily clutched the small bag closer and started making his way up the stairs. One stair at a time with a good grip on the rail. It was a matter of serious concentration.

Melissa grabbed and bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I'll go with you and we can see if I have popcorn. We can be in charge of the treats. We will pick the movie but it might have to wait. We need to find snacks. Are you a good snack finder? I bet you are."

"I'm good at finding things to eat when I'm hungry. I'm even better than Momma at going to the kitchen when there is no one there and finding things that no one will care that we take."

Brigid flinched. She looked at Scott and Stiles. Ashamed.

Scott's voice was soft. "You have done good then to start to teach him to hunt and to be stealthy. It will serve him well."

"So. Sleep over. This should be fun. Here, you can carry this one. We will get the rest. Go. We will look and make sure everything is closed and then we will be up." Stiles handed her another small bag and motioned her toward the stairs. He watched her trail along behind Alex and Melissa.

She didn't see the look on his face as he watched her. She didn't but Scott did.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited 3-18-14 to include new information.   
> Stiles' mother died when he had just turned 13.   
> Father remarried the following year. To a Wolfgard woman.   
> Teyla took him in but as a mentor not a mother.

The expression on Stile's face wasn't one that Scott could easily read. It was one where what made Stiles different was coming out. Not fully. Just a glimmer. At what lay beneath the surface. In the Abyss of Stiles inner world. 

Scott watched Stiles. 

There was a great deal going on behind those honey colored eyes. He didn't know all but he knew that there was a great deal more to Stiles than most realized. There were depths that had never been plumbed. Some might be shallow but Scot was thinking more like an abyss worth. 

Scott drifted through The Cafe' checking the security. As he did he thought. About the past and the present and the possible future. 

Scott knew Stiles. He had known him since they were small. Alex would have no idea of what he had unleashed when he told Stiles "I like having you as a brother." He had acknowledged Stiles' claim on him and returned it. 

As much as Stiles was his father's son, he was even more his mother's son. Catherine had been a sweet, loving woman. Her husband had adored her. That had been obvious when they had moved to Beacon Hills. 

What hadn't been as obvious was where Catherine had come from. She wasn't Wolfgard. Her last 'name' had never been mentioned. Stiles was actually Vojin Stilenski by name. He didn't have a wolf form. He was a half-breed. The Other children, as children can be, in the school hadn't been kind. 

Scott had been sickly as a child. Unusual in a Wolfgard. His health had improved as he grew older but childhood had not been...fun. He didn't fit in that much more than Stiles. He had met Stiles when Catherine had been visiting Teyla and Melissa had arrived at the Herb Store at her wit's end about what to do about the respiratory irritation Scott couldn't seem to shake. 

She had taken with the other women. She wasn't as close to them as they were to each other but she did count them as friends as Scott did Stiles. 

Scott always thought that there was a reason that the Black Widow Teyla and Catherine had been good friends. More than their mutual interest in herbs and finding things that Stiles with his unusual biology could tolerate. He had reactions to what seemed to be ordinary things. It was the basis of his long interest in herbal blends for everyday life. 

It was more than just simple friendship that was the reason that Catherine had helped Teyla until her health started failing. 

Stiles had grown up under the feet of his mother and a Black Widow. In some ways, Scott hadn't been exactly surprised when puberty revealed that Stiles was different. A very rare male Black Widow. That was probably part of the reason. Catherine had either known or suspected. He still thought that there was more that would eventually surface from Stile's unknown heritage. 

John Wolfgard was not from Beacon Hills. He never said how he came to meet his wife. He was a quiet, well spoken man that the Wolfgard was pleased to add to their number despite his strange wife and child. 

Stiles had never quite fit in with the Wolfgard. 

Scott and Stiles had considered themselves kin. They weren't wanted by the other boys so they formed their own mini-pack. Nothing overt. Certainly nothing that would piss off the others and set themselves up as targets. They just spent most of their time together. It had been better than being all alone. But it was a small pack. They had longed for company. For others to join them. It hadn't happened. Till now. Alex had accepted Stiles comment of they were brothers as a serious claim. 

To Stiles, it was if they had become brothers in truth. Brother from another mother. Which was strengthened even more by the fact that his father's new wife had denied him. 

Brigid had not disputed the claim. That would be as good as if she had acknowledged the bond as well. 

This could be. No this was GOING to be...interesting. Even more than the usual Stiles interesting. 

"Teyla will be back on Earthday. We will open The Herb Store back up on Moonsday." 

"And?" 

"I'll introduce her to Alex and Brigid." 

Scott knew that it would be more than a simple introduction. Stiles was going to acquaint Teyla with the circumstances that had caused the mother and son to be at the Courtyard. He was going to let nature take its course. 

With a little prompting. Teyla had gone to visit her people. She came back with supplies that she had traded for and an attitude. Not always a good one. A cranky Black Widow was always good for some creative suggestions. 

Stiles had taken the time off to go and see his family. His frame of mind was anything but...happy. Or it hadn't been till he had managed a new brother in an evening. 

Scott just hoped that Brigid would deal with Stiles well. He and Teyla had been closer at one time. There was distance between them but they still cared about each other. Melissa cared about Stiles. 

Scott thought back to how Brigid had touched him. She had dealt with him as if he were one of her kind to be concerned over. She was very demonstrative with Alex. She was hands-on but then Alex was still very young. She seemed kind. Only time would tell but Scott really hoped so. 

Stiles had been dispossessed. It had been a long time in coming. His father had married the year after Catherine had died when Stiles had just turned 13. Teyla had taken Stiles in. As a mentor. Not a mother. It had been the year that Stiles had lost everything. John had still been in his life but it wasn't the same. He had a young child that needed him more than Stiles did. A young Wolfgard child with his Wolfgard wife and her extended Wolfgard family. A family that had been urging them to move to where the rest of her family was. John had declined till Stiles had turned 17. 

Stiles had visited them as often as possible at first. It didn't work out. Her family was a close one. A Wolfgard type family. As Stiles had said 'there is no place for me at their table'.

If Brigid didn't make a place for Stiles at her table because she was a decent person, she would do well to make a place for darker reasons. A Black Widow was not something a smart person pissed off. There was a reason even the young were feared. 

Scott gathered up part of Stiles things and they went up the stairs to see what the night would hold.


	10. Chapter 10

Brigid climbed the stairs. Afraid and ashamed. 

Ashamed that her son had just admitted to strangers that they had to steal food in their own house. That they had to hide and sneak. That a six year old had to be taught to sneak and steal. 

Ashamed that she hadn 't been a better mother. She hadn't been stronger or smarter or something more than the failure that she felt. 

She was safe now. Her son was safe which was even more important. 

She was afraid it wouldn't last. 

She would keep her fears to herself and do all that she could to make things better for Alex. 

He was talking. He wasn't afraid or hesitant to be heard. 

He was reaching out. Not just willing to be touched but actually reaching out to Scott and Stiles. And after such a short period of time. 

He wasn't afraid. 

She wanted to keep it that way. She so much wanted to keep it that way. 

She went through the open door to the apartment. Melissa and Alex were in the kitchen. They were solemnly regarding the items on the table. Alex's face was scrunched in concentration as he stood on a chair to be able to see. "Is this enough for Stiles and Scott? They are big. Momma and I don't each much. If you don't have enough we have some food we will share." 

Melissa's face was so non-expression it was painful. "Sharing food is very good Alex. We have plenty. No one will go hungry here." 

Brigid walked further in. "Where do I put this down?"

Melissa indicated a doorway. "That's Scott's room. Just put it in there. We will let everyone get their own snacks from the table and watch a movie. Then we will arrange the sleep over. We have a small guest bedroom. You can sleep there. Alex can start with the boys and if he wants to come and sleep with you later that will be fine." 

"I can sleep with the big boys?" 

"If you want to you can sleep with Scott and Stiles. You might want to put Scott between you and Stiles. I think Stiles is a restless sleeper."

Alex looked thoughtful. It was hard to say what was going on in his little head. 

At that point, Scott and Stiles came in with the rest of Stiles' stuff and closed and locked the door. Stiles made a detour by the table. "Oh. Snacks. Chocolate. I want chocolate." He bounced toward Scott's room. 

Alex watched him go and leaned to confide in Melissa. "Does Stiles get to have coffee? I don't know that coffee would be good for him. Maybe in the morning if you need him to wake up but not night coffee. It might make him ...twitchy." 

Melissa snickered. "Stiles can be twitchy. We will make him some Sleepytime tea instead. I'll do that while you go and chose a movie." 

Alex went over to the shelving unit that held the movies. He began on the bottom and went through them one by one. Scott came out of the bedroom to direct him to a shelf that held the children's movies. They worked out the movies that Alex would like to see then put them in the order that he wanted to watch them. They couldn't watch them all tonight but they would work their way through the movies. 

"I get to come back and watch movies again???"

"Yes. We will watch movies together very many times. We can come up here or we can watch at The Bookstore. You can watch them at the Bookstore alone or we can watch them together. When he isn't busy Stiles may be able to watch them at the Bookstore sometimes. Chris sometimes growls and makes grumpy face though. We may want to leave Mr. Grumpy downstairs and come up here to watch movies and play." 

Alex looked thoughtful. "But Momma might be scared and lonely." 

"My Mom will be right next door. Allison will keep her company. We can talk to Allison tomorrow about how to take care of your Momma. Allison is wonderful. You will like spending time with her."

Alex looked doubtful. "She is very pretty. Very pretty girls don't have time for little boys." 

Scott's face went from animated to more neutral then he smiled slightly. "Allison will have time for little boys. Not all the time while she is working but she will make time for you. She is an only child too."

Alex looked doubtful. "Scott." 

When Alex didn't say anything else Scott prompted. "I'm listening." 

"I think that Allison might be more scary than scared." Alex started in surprise when the others in the room, except for Scott, burst out in laughter. 

Scott sighed. "Okay. You might have a point there. She does get lonely and she likes company." 

"Does she have other pretty girl friends? Are they nice like she is or are they .... not nice." 

"Allison will use her scary power and make sure that if the two of you meet other pretty girls that they are nice to you." 

"Okay then. She will take care of Momma too?"

"She will take care of your Momma too." 

Brigid was in the kitchen with Melissa facing out the kitchen window. "My son shouldn't have to worry about some teen age girl taking care of me. He shouldn't even have those thoughts at all." 

"He is a good, kind, gentle boy. I imagine he will always worry about taking care of people. That teenage girl is... scary. Here have chocolate. It makes everything better. We will watch a movie and enjoy ourselves. Can you remember how to do that?" 

"I can try." 

"Good. You will get practice until you get it right. Pick out something to drink and claim a snuggle spot." 

Brigid gave her a strange look, took the chocolate bites and the drink and went into the living room. She found a spot and sat. 

Stiles, Scott and Alex got their snacks and drinks and spread them over the coffee table. They took pillows from a pile across the room and made a 'snuggle spot'. Alex was in the middle. He was sitting half on Scott and half on Stiles. 

Melissa turned the over head light off and just left on small lights around the room. They settled in for movie watching. It was the story of a princess and her bow. The story of being brave. Alex was fascinated. Even more so when Scott found time in the action to tell him that Allison had a bow and she was very good with it. He would ask her to show Alex. 

Brigid fell asleep first. Melissa covered her up. She would wake Brigid in time to go to work tomorrow. 

Alex made it through the movie. He was winding down but not there yet.  
Scott asked him if he would show them his books that he wrote. That way Stiles could get an idea of how they were written and he could help. Alex happily brought over his backpack and took out his books. The admired them and were serious about it. 

He read one book to Scott and one to Stiles. Scott got out a couple of his favorite books. By the time he had finished reading both Alex and Stiles were asleep. Alex dead to the world. Stiles dozing.


	11. Chapter 11

Melissa had left to get ready for bed. When she came back through she looked at them. Scott met her gaze and smiled. He snuggled in and prepared to go to sleep. They would stay where they were. It should make both Alex and Brigid feel safe. Melissa went over and pressed her lips to each of their heads. Even Brigid. 

The boys could sleep in tomorrow morning and entertain themselves. Scott would bring Alex down or Stiles would from time to time to check on Brigid. 

Scott would probably involve Alex in helping Stiles get The Herb Store ready to open after it had been closed for a week. There were supplies that had come in and just been placed on the workbench that would need to be sorted and dealt with. There were orders that needed to be made to get ready to go out. It would need to be tidied up. It would be stale from being closed. Stiles would probably take care of that the first thing. He was good at what he did. Very good. There were a number of things that needed to be caught up. 

It would keep them occupied and busy. It would be good for them to stay busy. Less time to worry for Alex. Less time to brood for Scott. Less time for Stiles to.... get ideas. It wasn't always a pleasant thing when Stiles put his attention on something that made him or someone he considered his...unhappy. He tended to be innovative on removing the unhappy. Sometimes it was funny. Other times it was anything but. 

Melissa checked the doors and then took herself off to get ready for bed. Scott and Stiles were light sleepers. They would keep watch over Alex and Brigid. She could rest up for tomorrow. It was going to be an interesting day. She could just feel it in her bones. 

Chapter 12

Brigid was startled out of a sound sleep. The best she had experienced in some time. Someone had reached under the covers and pinched her big toe. It took her a moment to get her bearings. 

She was still on the couch at Melissa's home. There was a cup of coffee being patiently held out of flailing range. "Oh thank you!" She took the cup in both hands and let the fragrant steam jog the cells in her brain. She was at Melissa's. She looked on the floor by her. 

Stiles was sleeping on his back with his head turned away from her toward the windows. She would have thought that he would sleep in a sprawl. He didn't. Or he wasn't at the moment. His left arm was touching Scott and his right was folded across his stomach. 

Scott was curled on his side, around what little of Alex she could see, facing the door. They were fine. 

She needed to drink her coffee. Her very good coffee and then go and get ready for work. She needed to wash her hair. Hopefully she would have enough time to dry if. If not then just dry enough and braid it. That way the curls wouldn't be too unruly. Coffee first though. 

Melissa spoke softly. "Do you want to eat before or after you get ready?" 

"After please. "

"You have a couple of hours before we have to be downstairs."

"Thank you. Thank you for everything."

"Drink your coffee." She walked away to start getting ready herself. 

Brigid finished her coffee and took the cup to the kitchen. Melissa believed in planning ahead. Once sleepover was mentioned, she and Brigid had gone to the apartment where Brigid and Alex were staying. Clothes, makeup and anything else she would need to get ready for work were put in a bag. Her clothes would be hung up when they got back to Melissa's. 

She was very grateful for it now. She wouldn't have to get out and get her clothes. When she got out of the second bathroom the boys were up and at the table. 

Alex was in Scott's lap drinking his...something. It was creamy brown. Whatever Melissa had fixed for him it smelled wonderful. Scott was feeding him bites off his plate in between feeding himself. 

Brigid watched as she ate. Scott managed to get a good bit of food in Alex before he shook his head and turned his face away. She was grateful Scott simply ate the bite of eggs and let it go. She could see why Melissa had chosen The Cafe' as a way to make a living. There was a caretaking streak in both of them. 

She went downstairs with Melissa and helped her out till Chris arrived to open up the Bookstore. 

Allison arrived soon after. 

Brigid got the cash register ready for business then walked the store. 

"What are you doing?"

"Walking the store."

"Because?"

Allison had asked but both father and daughter seemed interested in the answer. 

"To see if there are any changes. To check that the books and things are where they are supposed to be. Generally, the employees go through the store after closing putting things away and back. Still, sometimes things get missed because people get lazy and don't put things back if they change their minds, they just tend to put them down." 

Brigid bit her tongue. Both Argents had tilted their heads at the same time and same way as they thought it over. They were lupine rather than canine but it still amused her. 

"That actually makes sense." High praise from Chris. 

"Do you have specials or put things on sale?" 

Chris studied her. "No?"

"That's fine. You don't have to. It generally happens in larger stores when someone not in the store does the ordering. They order too much of one thing and not enough of others. You do your own ordering and I know you know what you are doing." 

Chris looked suspicious for a moment then just settled on "Thanks". He hesitated. "The humans come here and order. The Other do not. Not while the humans are here. I will go and get the orders. I have been busy and I am sure there will be many." He looked at Brigid. 

Brigid looked back. He and Allison kept looking at her. Finally she asked "Okay that obviously was supposed to let me know something more than you will not be in the store much today. If I missed my cue I'm sorry. Maybe you cannot just expect me to understand and actually SAY what I am supposed to have understood." 

"The Security Wolf will be here and Allison. Melissa will be next door." He sighed deeply "Scott and Stiles." 

Brigid nailed him with a look "Scott and Stiles have been incredibly kind to my son. They are good boys." 

Chris lifted a lip. "Scott is sniffing Allison." 

"As long as all he does is sniff, I don't see what the problem is. I would just imagine that she is more than capable of smacking him if the sniffing annoys her." 

"She's not old enough to be sniffed." He looked deeply offended when Brigid burst out in laughter. 

Melissa and the girls appeared in the doorway drawn by the laughter. "What?"

Brigid got her laughter under control. "Poor Chris is realizing that little girls, most inconveniently, grow up and become women." 

Melissa proved her bravery and patted Chris on the back. "Talk to each other and the both of you might just survive the experience." 

Chris shuddered. "It's time to stop talking and open the store." He walked off. 

Brigid and Melissa exchanged a look. Melissa nodded. She would talk to Allison as Wolfgard woman to Wolfgard girl and try to explain and take pity on her poor father. 

Brigid continued her walk and got into a 'customer service' mindset. The weather was chilly but sunny. They would have a good day.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you are now getting this thing in chunks till I run out.

Chapter 13

Scott pulled Stiles aside when Alex had to go and pee. "We need to make sure to drop by the Bookstore about every hour." 

"Wow Scott. Obsessed with Allison much?"

Scott smacked him. Stiles yelped. Scott almost strangled him trying to keep him quiet. "Don't yell. You will scare Alex." 

"Don't hit me you idiot and I won't yell. That hurt!"

"Don't be an idiot and I won't hit you." 

"Are we playing now? I'm not sure I want to play whatever game you are playing." Alex's rasping voice broke them apart. 

"That's fine we are done. Game over. Stiles is a dork." 

"My Momma said name calling isn't nice." Alex looked thoughtful.

Stiles sat on the floor. "Come here cubling." Alex came but it was hesitant. "I'm going to let you in on a secret that females just don't seem to understand."

Alex looked doubtful. "Not even mothers? Mothers know everything." 

Stiles glared at a snickering Scott. "Sometimes mothers especially don't get the secret." 

"Okaaaay." 

"Males are rude. We poke each other. We do rude things to each other. We say rude things to each other." Scott and Alex were both looking at Stiles with differing expressions. 

"Why?"

"Because we can only be so good for so long. Females get really upset and unpleasant if you use up all your good before you deal with them. So you have to save your good behavior for when you are with females. A grumpy male is nothing on a bitchy female." 

Alex looked confused. "What's bitchy?"

Scott spoke up. "A word that will get your mouth washed out if used around females." 

"Oh." 

"It is when you talk to them...and they snarl at you. You don't talk to them...they snarl at you. You stand close and they snarl at them to get out of their air. You stand far away and they snarl that you don't like them anymore. You breathe...they snarl."

Alex's whole face lit up. "I know bitchy! I've seen bitchy. We used to live with her." 

Stiles gently nudged Alex. "Doufus, you announce that downstairs and every female around will snarl at you. Of course every male would agree. That is why there is the concept of behaving for males and the concept of behaving for females. They are different. If you screw up and male behave around a female don't try to explain to them. They aren't interested. Just hang your head and look swatted. Like this." Stiles gave an excellent performance of a swatted puppy. Big sorrowful eyes and hunched body posture. 

Alex studied him carefully. 

"There is a long mirror in the bathroom. Go and practice for a few minutes." 

Alex trotted off to practice. 

"Stiles..what.."

"What were you going to tell me?"

Scott just sighed. "We need to make sure that we have a plan to take Alex around about every hour or so to check in with his mother for both of their sakes. They have been all that the other had for a very long time. That insecurity and fear won't vanish overnight. Both of them will need to be reassured for some time yet that they are safe here." 

Stiles looked thoughtful. "We just tell Alex that we need to be down there about every hour to make sure his momma gets a hug. Dealing with humans can make people crazy even if they are humans too. It will make her day better. He'll buy that and it might even be the truth." 

Alex walked back into the room. He had the pathetic puppy down great. 

"Wow! Seriously kick ass. We want something from a female and we send him in to ask for it. Unless it is just something totally insane they will cave in a heartbeat. Cubling! You do young males up to mischief everywhere proud." Stiles scooped him up and spun him around. "Muwah. Muwah. Muwah. I could just eat you up." 

Scott waited for Alex to freak as Stiles dropped to the floor and licked his face and neck. They were going to have to sedate the kid and his mother, both mothers were going to be sooo pissed at him even though it was Stiles and how was he supposed to control Stiles? The giggles took him by surprise. 

Alex didn't freak. He wasn't panicked or afraid. He was laughing about Stiles threatening to eat him up. Scott was going to try something hopeless. He would ask Stiles not to use that expression where the humans could hear him. It wouldn't go over well. The blowing potty mouth germs on each other was a better bet. That would be much more acceptable. 

Stiles now had the boy on the floor tickling his belly and making "Nom. Nom. Nom" sounds. It was as disturbing as it was cute. It would be best if they got it out of their system up here. Out of human observation and reaction range. 

It didn't take Alex long to become winded. 

Scott suddenly wondered if that had been Stiles intention. How physical could he get with Alex? How much activity could he take? Stiles was licking his belly and Alex was trying to push him away and making a good effort. That little play session had been fun for Alex and had most likely given Stiles a good deal of information to put into his somewhat twisted plans. Black Widows didn't tend to do straight forward. Even if Stiles was male, he was no exception. 

"You two done?" 

They looked at each other and nodded with good puppy faces. The 'I have no idea how that happened. Seriously. I had nothing to do with it.' kind of good puppy. Lying through their milk teeth. 

"Let's go downstairs and give your mother a hug. Then we can start working on Stiles apartment. It will take the longest to tidy up." 

"Hey." 

Scott just looked at him. 

"It's not that bad." 

Scott just looked at him. 

"It's just a little messy." 

Scott rolled his eyes. 

"Okay. It's messy. It's not like it's going to take all that long." 

Alex was now looking at Stiles. "Stiles." 

"Yes." 

"If it isn't that messy."

"It's not that bad." 

"Then why do you keep saying that it isn't bad. If it wasn't wouldn't you just have to say it once for Scott to believe you?"

Scott started laughing. First at Alex's logic and presentation. Then at Stiles face. He finally had to sit on the floor. His stomach hurt. 

"Let's go downstairs and give your mother a hug. We will leave Hyena boy here till he gets ready to help instead of laugh." 

"He didn't mean to hurt your feelings Stiles. He was just being male." 

Stiles scooped Alex up and gently draped him over his shoulder. "That little lesson just might come back to bite me on the ass." 

Considering his upside down position gave him a good view of Stiles posterior Alex tried to make him feel better. "You have a nice ass. Maybe they want to eat it up."

Scott just laid on the floor to laugh. It was easier. 

 

Chapter 14

Allison decided she wanted to start out on the Cash Register. Brigid was straightening the books and tidying up. They were waiting for the customers to start showing up. People were wandering into the Cafe'. They generally got something to eat and drink then checked out the Bookstore. 

Stiles came down the stairs with Alex still draped over his shoulder. Brigid looked surprised at the sight. Alex was playing it up with his arms hanging down limply and swatting at Stiles' butt with every step. As far as she knew, her son was not used to any male being as physical with him as Scott had been allowed to be. Much less the way that Stiles toted him around like a stuffed toy. It was a heart-catching thing to see. 

Stiles walked over to her and switched Alex off of his shoulder to front of his chest so Alex could reach out to Brigid. 

"Hug." 

Brigid looked at Stiles not sure who he was talking to. She hugged Alex. 

To her surprise Alex spoke instead of signing. "Scott is upstairs being Hyena Boy. Stiles and I are going to go get lost in the mess of his apartment. He told Scott like six times it wasn't that messy so it is wayyy messy and Stiles just doesn't want to admit it." He stopped and looked thoughtful. "Stiles?"

"Yes?"

"We are going to need a snack bag. A BIG snack bag. That much mess takes lots of energy for cleaning." 

"It's not that bad but I won't turn down food." 

"Seven." 

"Doufus."

"Dork." 

"Boys." 

Stiles winced but Alex looked seriously at his mother from his place in Stiles' arms. "But Momma, we are just being male. Stiles needs to get it out of his system before he goes around bitchy females." 

There were choking sounds from the back room where Chris had been standing.

Allison had her hand firmly over her mouth. 

Stiles and Brigid looked at each other with very wide eyes. 

Brigid's eyes began to narrow. "Bitchy?" She was looking at Stiles. 

Alex answered. Cheerfully. "You talk to them they snarl. You don't talk to them they snarl. You stand near and they snarl for you to get out of their face. You get smart and move away and they snarl that you are ignoring them. You breathe...they snarl. But Momma, men need to breathe." 

The muttered comment of "not necessarily" was the last straw for a number of people.  
They quickly found somewhere out of sight to laugh. 

"Hungry. Snacks. We are going to go get food. Bye." Stiles made a hasty exit. 

"Momma kind of looked like she wanted to bite you." 

"That she did." 

"I don't think your ass was where she was going to bite." 

"I don't either. But before you say anything else let's get out of Momma hearing range. Me and my ass will thank you." 

"Ewwww. How is your ass going to say anything. In farts?" 

There was a beat of silence then hysterical laughter from Stiles. 

Brigid was treated to the memorable sight of Christopher Argent Wolfgard laying on the floor laughing helplessly. He was the only one in sight. With a disgusted sigh, she stepped over him to get to the cooler. She got out her chocolate bites, sat down and began to eat. She looked at Chris and dared him to say a word. As if he could. 

It was going to be a long day. Later she would appreciate how much Alex had come out of his shell after meeting Scott and Stiles. Right now she just kind of wanted to cringe. Her son was learning to be a loose cannon from the best. 

Yes. It was time for chocolate.

 

Chapter 15

Scott came down several moments later. He had lain on the floor chuckling to himself from time to time. Stiles had met his match. They were hysterical together. It some ways that was good. In others it could be very bad, not so much for them and their brand of..crazy but for the people trying to maintain around them. He finally decided to go downstairs and see the cheer that Stiles and Alex had managed to share as they headed out the door in high spirits. 

His mother noticed him with that un-nerving mother instinct that never let him get away with anything and gestured firmly for him to come to her. 

He looked around. No Stiles. No Alex. No obvious mischief, mayhem or trauma. They must have settled down. He went over to his mother. 

He had gotten close enough for him to hear her without raising her voice. "I would stay away from next door till after lunch." 

What had he done? He hadn't even been down stairs till now. "I just wanted to talk to Allison. I need her help for something. Why is Chris mad at me already?" 

Melissa started snickering. "You don't have to worry about Chris." 

Scott's look went from slightly peeved to alarmed. "Allison? What have I done or not done?"

"To make her bitchy? Nothing. I am thinking more about Alex's mother that was given a brief lesson on males according to Stiles. He's your friend. You brought him over therefore it's all your fault." 

Scott had to think for a moment then looked horrified at what that must have entailed. "I'm dead." 

"Give her a couple of hours and I really think that she will start to find it funny. She does have a sense of humor." 

"I hope so. I will be helping Stiles clean his apartment." 

"Alex used puppy face for snacks. That should cheer you up. Of course you need to point out to him NOT to ask the female how was his puppy face after he has used it. And you totally missed the discussion of Stiles' ass."

"Does he still have one?"

"For the moment." 

"Good. Because it's mine." He stopped as what she said registered. Discussion. Stiles. Ass? "WHY was Stiles ass being discussed?" 

A brief recap:  
Alex: "Momma kind of looked like she wanted to bite you."  
Stiles: "That she did."  
Alex: "I don't think your ass was where she was going to bite."  
Stiles: "I don't either. But before you say anything else let's get out of Momma hearing range. Me and my ass will thank you."  
Alex: "Ewwww. How is your ass going to say anything. In farts?" 

"The comedy duo brought down the house and had Chris laying on the floor laughing." 

"Chris Argent Wolfgard?"

"Yes."

"You mean as a figure of speech laying on the floor."

"No. I mean he was literally laying on the floor laughing. Brigid had to step over him when she went to get her chocolate bites." 

Scott rubbed his hands through his hair. His brain was now broken. 

Scott sighed and looked at his mother. "Can I trade Stiles in for a new best friend?"

"One, do you know of anyone that would take him? Two, think of how boring your life would be." 

"One...no one. Two...I like boring" He gave up on his plans for the moment. "I'll go hide till after lunch." He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "How can someone so smart open his mouth and have such stupid things fall out?" 

"He's Stiles." 

Scott just sighed. That in itself was answer enough.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited 3-18-14  
> Courtyard opened to humans three years ago. Stiles was 16 and Scott 17. More information added. I told you this thing was rough.

Chapter 16

Scott went around and up to Stiles apartment. He opened the door quietly and watched them interact for a few minutes. 

They were busily organizing Stiles stacks of papers and notes. That was really the only thing that was messy about the apartment. Most of the furnishings were built in. It was a true efficiency. The small apartment over the Bookstore was a one bedroom but it was twice the size of what Stiles had been living in for some time. Scott wondered what it would take for Chris to be willing to rent the apartment over the Bookstore to Stiles. 

Three years ago Peter Hale had convinced Chris to side with him to open the Beacon Hills Courtyard to humans. It had been done in one other Courtyard and it was working out well for everyone. Chris had always loved books and had been dabbling in the Bookstore. Melissa had been more serious about the Cafe but they both agreed that it was a good idea.

Teyla had been working on the Herb Store for some time. The Coven had been 'helping' so it had been slow going. Teyla had moved out of Coven provided housing when she had taken Stiles in and had moved into the apartments over the empty store. The Herb Store had grown from there. The Coven had been grudgingly 'assisting' them every step of the way. 

When the Hales and some of the Others had decided on opening the Courtyard to the humans, the three of them wanted all the protection for their family that they could get. Chris had stayed overnight often as he was getting the Bookstore ready. That had been before Victoria had left. Siding with Peter Hale instead of Victoria, Kate and Gerard had been the final blow to an already failing relationship. 

Scott thought that Chris had probably wanted a place for Allison to go when the fighting between her parents got bad. It would make more sense from what he knew of Chris than for Chris to want strong wards around the building just for himself and the books. He was protective of his only child. Teyla had cast the wards over the three buildings since they were connected. 

Scott knew that Stiles was more than capable of creating wards. Stiles had a protective streak himself. His wards were...as different as Stiles. Scott had seen them once. Just once and it had been enough. 

Stiles had gone from time to time to train with other teachers. He never spoke of it and Scott never asked. He didn't want to know. Sometimes there was a stranger that looked at him from Stiles' eyes. When they changed from honey brown to a more golden hue, Scott wasn't ashamed to admit it scared the shit out of him. It never lasted long. 

He would come back from the lessons and in a few days he was back to the Stiles that they knew and loved, when they didn't want to strangle him. 

He had felt Stiles' wards when the world outside the Courtyard seemed to momentarily lose its mind. There had been trouble. 

The Humans First had decided to send a message. It had been when Beacon Hills Courtyard had first decided to allow humans inside. To try to have some peace between Humans and Others. Some of the Humans just didn't want to get along. There had been an attack and flaming bombs had been thrown through windows of some of the stores. 

The Cafe had been damaged so Scott and his mother had been staying elsewhere. Teyla had sent Stiles to stay with them. Scott had thought it was for them to look after Stiles. They were on the edge of the Wolfgard area. Stiles wasn't Wolfgard but Scott and his mother were so he was tolerated but at a preferred distance. They were close to the Sanguini. When Stiles brought the wards up on the house they were staying in, Scott could feel the power before it was hidden. It was only for a few seconds but it seemed to last an eternity. It slammed home something that he had always known but hadn't realized. Stiles was different. 

Having Stiles ward the Bookstore and the Cafe might be worth it to Chris. 

In a conversation that Scott freely admitted that he got lost about two or three sentences into the discussion, Stiles had brainstormed at him about layering wards. One set hidden under a visible layer. Teyla had been teaching him. But he thought it could be taken further. 

Further than his Black Widow mentor was willing to consider for some reason. Scott had thought that it was the fact that not all of Stiles experiments had turned out well. Some of them had been messy. 

Scott had also thought that she didn't see the need of experimenting on or with wards when they had something that worked. She was more of the mind of 'it works; don't mess with it'. Stiles was more 'if this works what will this do to it?' and the sometimes resulting 'ohfuckrun'. 

The brief experience with the wards that Stiles had created and held gave Scott other thoughts in the dark of that night. Maybe Stiles Black Widow mentor didn't want him adapting the wards beyond what she knew because she couldn't contain the results if it went to hell. 

Stiles had found someone to work with him on warding. The wards went up without hesitation and then faded to the faintest of whispers. They were strong and deep. And Dark. Sometimes when you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss stares back. 

He had pushed it out of his mind. The trouble had been handled. The Cafe' was cleaned and back in business. Mostly Scott forgot about that time. Mostly. 

He went over and started tidying the kitchen. It would give him time to think about talking to Allison and Chris. He really wanted to talk to his mother first about some of the things on his mind. He wiped down the room and mopped the floor. The other two had snacks and were busy looking at drawings. It would be a good time to go downstairs for the drinks that they hadn't gotten. He could catch his mother, mention his thoughts to her and let her think about it. If the idea was workable she would figure out how to make it happen. 

That's what Moms were for. 

 

Chapter 17

Scott went downstairs to find both Chris and Melissa off to the side. He went over to them. "Just let me talk. Don't ask me anything until I get finished." 

Chris looked amused and Melissa looked cautious. 

Scott turned to look at Chris. "Stiles needs more room. It's more than that. He...needs to get some distance from Teyla. He could stay in the small apartment and Alex and Brigid would stay in the big one. She could do the store when you didn't feel like being in skin. He knows how to layer wards. He could ward the Bookstore and the Cafe. Teyla can take care of herself. Alex and Brigid over the Bookstore mean that what Stiles does to the Bookstore would be...very effective. Alex is his brother by another mother. You know how Stiles is about family. That's one thing that you need to think over. 

"The other is to train Alex and Brigid to be able to defend themselves. That would be Allison. She doesn't rely on brute strength. She would work better to start teaching them than you would. You could later but I just don't think it would work well to start out with an aggressive male as a teacher. Not for them after what they have been through." He stopped to think. "That's really it. You can ask questions now." 

Chris looked at Scott. "Stiles living over the Bookstore. Why would I want him to cast more wards than what Teyla has?"

Scott looked at his mother. He and Chris didn't get along that well and his loyalty was to Stiles first. She nodded. "I can explain that. Did you have anything else to ask Scott?" 

"I guess not." 

Melissa leaned forward and kissed Scott. "Get whatever it was that you told Stiles and Alex you came down to get. Chris and I will discuss your suggestions." 

Scott happily dumped the problem in his mother's lap and went to get the drinks. 

Chris moved them deeper into the back of the Bookstore. Allison was out front. Between her and Brigid things would be dealt with probably before the Security Wolf could get up.

He looked at Melissa. "Stiles. Wards. Why?"

"You weren't in the Wolfgard complex the night that Scott and I had to move out of the Cafe'." 

"No. Why?"

"Stiles decided to put up wards around the house we were in. He didn't feel safe. He has no real ties to the Wolfgard despite his father being one. Sometimes he is very much his mother's son." 

"Your point?" 

"What do you actually know about Stiles mother?"

Chris opened his mouth then hesitated. "She was a kind person. She worked with Teyla. They were good friends which is why Teyla took Stiles in when she died and his father fell apart."

"What about her abilities? She wasn't Wolfgard. It is well known that Stiles is a half-breed. What is his other half?"

Chris blinked. He was quiet for some time. "I have no idea. I truly have no idea what his other half is and I find it strange that it never really ... Do you know?"

"No. I have figured out some things about him but I don't know that. How many know that Stiles works at the Herb Store but they forget that he is also training with Teyla who is a Black Widow."

"He is such a..."

"He is a natural born MALE Black Widow. You see his fingernails every day. Yet somehow that seems to escape consciousness. I felt his wards the night he decided to raise them to protect us. He was upset. He and Scott had been at the front of the store when the fire bomb came through. Werewolf healing can do a great deal. Scott only got singed. I wasn't in the room. It took me a few minutes to get through the door. Once I got through all I could focus on was the boys laying on the floor. Then it was just a blur of getting the rest of the fire out and people coming in to help. 

"We were grabbed up and taken to the Bodywalker for her to look at Scott and then to the Wolfgard section. It wasn't till later that I had some time to think instead of just react. 

"There was something that nagged me about what had happened but I couldn't place it. 

"I went back the next day to look. Things had been moved as the fire was put out and the window closed in. I did discover something. I found where Scott was standing. I traced where the fire bomb came through." 

Chris felt a sudden chill. "Where was Scott standing?" 

"Evidently something caught his attention and he was walking toward the window to see what was going on. Stiles was behind him. The reason Scott was singed was because of the few seconds that it took Stiles to physically get to him and tackle him to the floor."

"What did he do?"

"I have no idea. I do know that everything at the front of the room was charred. Except for one area. It wasn't a circle. It was an odd shape or so I thought. I stepped back and then I realized what I was looking at. Two boys especially if one were covering the other with his body could fit in that shape and not be burned. I have a question for you to think about."

Chris' face was tight with emotion. "What?"

"Someone like that. How would you want him to feel about you and yours? Especially your young, beautiful daughter that is attracting attention? She is your well known weakness. You are no more fond of some of your family than I am of mine. You trust them no more than I do mine. We do well at not actually speaking of this. 

"I would suggest that you let Stiles move in over the Bookstore. Let Allison learn to deal with him. He takes being swatted by her well. She can poke him and prod him and he doesn't raise a hand to her. He considers her Scott's. 

"Instead of growling about it, what about allowing it. Perhaps he will come to regard her as a sister by another mother. Family is EVERYTHING to Stiles. It always has been. 

"He has said that there is 'no room for him at his Father's table'. But if his father needed him, he would go. 

"His step-mother has made it clear that the children she bore his father were not to be considered his brother or sister. She didn't want him near them. But again, if those children needed anything that he could do for them, he would without hesitation. She may not consider them related but he does. 

"Think about the fact that those he chooses for Family that are as dear as Blood. Think. Then tell me what you would want to be." Melissa walked off to allow Chris time to contemplate the paradigm shift his world had taken. 

Perhaps when Teyla arrived, he should make time to have a talk with her. He had learned some of how Melissa perceived Stiles. How did the other woman in his life view Stiles? It was time to find out. 

 

Chapter 18

Chris went to his office and closed the door. His world was shifting and he needed time to think. He sat at his desk and stared at the top. He had paperwork. He always had paperwork. 

Not today. He wasn't dealing with it today. He was instead going to deal with things that made paperwork seem enjoyable. 

He opened the very bottom drawer on his desk. He took out a photo album. 

He took out the three photos that were loose in the front. Victoria. His wife. Not his mate but his wife. Katherine. Kate. His sister. Gerard. His father. Three Wolfgard that should have been born Sanguinati. For their ability to suck the life and joy out of things and people. Beautiful. Deadly. Toxic. When? How? 

His father and his sister. His childhood had been happy. He had been rather boring. Neither the best or the worse at school or training. His father had pushed him and Kate. But not unreasonably. He wanted their best. If they could look him in the eye and say they had at that time and on that day tried with the best they had in them...he was satisfied. 

When had it changed? When he turned 18? 25? Had there been some magical number? Something that he could point to and say "HERE". Here is where it all started.

It had been more insidious. Like rot. Little places and little words and actions. Bit by bit it had crept in. Undermining. Destroying. Unknown till the floor that you thought was solid beneath you suddenly gave way. 

Had he missed it? Been too close? Too far. Too busy? 

He had loved Victoria. Once. The person that he had loved and chosen. No longer existed. 

He could understand some of what Brigid must feel when she looked at Alex. How do you protect your child from harm? When the person hurting them is your husband or wife. Where was the line? The angry words? 

Chris snorted. Having one's mouth run faster than their brain. If that was a crime then the world would be in jail. 

When did it turn cruel? When did his loving sister and his stern but kind wife become...bitches? Stiles, Darkness help them all, was right in his manifest on women and being bitchy. Nothing was enough. 

When had his father died and left only a man wearing his father's shell? With his mother's death? Oh Mother Night. That would give him and Stiles something in common. Ohfuckmenow. 

Not funny but true. The loss of a woman. A gentle, kind woman that could kick ass but preferred to use reason instead. Her death broke a man that had been known as a warrior. Maybe as men they were nowhere near as strong as they prided themselves in being. Sometimes maybe they were the fragile ones that needed protecting. If only from their own brilliant ideas and stupidity. 

His brilliant idea that Others should get along. He had been convinced by Peter. They had known each other for years. Sanguinati to the core. But there was a side to Peter that Chris could appreciate. The brutal honesty. The quiet unexpected compassion. His family had never approved of their friendship. The Hales found it amusing for the most part. Even the Other couldn't get along with their own kind. Why not add the Humans in the mix? 

His thoughts that the Others and Humans could managed more than a grudging compromise. 'Sharp-toothed tolerance on one side and fear on the other' as he had heard it described. 

He wanted more than that. He wanted more for his daughter. He wanted her to have friends. Real friends. More than just a Wolfgard or two. More than just limiting herself to 'her own kind' meaning Wolfgard and not Other. And from Gerard, Kate and Victoria not even all of the Wolfgard would qualify. 

It had gotten hopeless to try to talk to them. To exchange ideas. He got better results out of talking to the neighboring Black Widow. Teyla was born to be a diplomat. Calm. Confidant. Distant. The distance that made it easier for her to see the different sides and mediate also made it or him hesitant to express some of his thoughts and ideas. She was never dismissive. Never critical. Just calmly thoughtful. Distant. 

He didn't want distant. He wanted someone to share and encourage him. Someone one to believe in him when his own belief was failing. He didn't want a diplomat. He wanted a friend. 

There were many times he didn't think much of Humans. They were clever but destructive and short-sighted as well as being short lived. Maybe that was why they didn't think ahead more. 

But not all of them. He read. There were a few that transcended the consideration of what they were. There were the few humans that had mastered putting spiderweb thoughts into words. 

Humans like the human that wrote the poem he had found and copied off. It was in a special place. He would look at it from time to time. What he dreamed, others had dreamed as well. He wasn't alone. Sometimes that was more important than any of the other words. "I see you. I see your dream. I dream too." He didn't understand all of the words the human used. But he very much understood the message. Longing for a true friend. 

The Thousandth Man  
0NE man in a thousand, Solomon says.  
Will stick more close than a brother.  
And it's worth while seeking him half your days  
If you find him before the other.  
Nine hundred and ninety-nine depend  
On what the world sees in you,  
But the Thousandth Man will stand your friend  
With the whole round world agin you.  
'Tis neither promise nor prayer nor show  
Will settle the finding for 'ee.  
Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em go  
By your looks, or your acts, or your glory.  
But if he finds you and you find him,  
The rest of the world don't matter;  
For the Thousandth Man will sink or swim  
With you in any water.  
You can use his purse with no more talk  
Than he uses yours for his spendings,  
And laugh and meet in your daily walk  
As though there had been no lendings.  
Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 'em call  
For silver and gold in their dealings;  
But the Thousandth Man he's worth 'em all  
Because you can show him your feelings.  
His wrong's your wrong, and his right's your right,  
In season or out of season.  
Stand up and back it in all men's sight  
With that for your only reason!  
Nine hundred and ninety-nine can't bide  
The shame or mocking or laughter,  
But the Thousandth Man will stand by your side  
To the gallows-foot - and after!

A friend. He missed his mother most of all. He could admit he was lost. Afraid. Confused. Sometimes he just wanted someone to hold HIM. Someone that he could trust enough to allow himself to be vulnerable. Trust that it wouldn't be used against him. Trust that he would continue to be loved and accepted. When he failed. When he was wrong. When he was an idiot. Trusted that the result would not be judged. He would be picked up, dusted off, comforted and then told to get his ass back in the fight. 

The fight for doing what was right. To follow the Hunter's Code. To be a man he could be proud of even if no one else was. 

It had been years. 

He was a grown man with a teenage daughter of his own. 

He was successful and feared and respected as well. 

And the little boy that was still deep inside of him really missed his Momma right now.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 19

Brigid and Allison didn't say anything to each other when Chris finally came out of his office and walked through the Bookstore. He had a piece of paper in his hand and headed through the Herb Store to the living quarters. He came back down and without a word to anyone went out the back door. 

Allison looked at Brigid rather wide eyed. "Any idea what that was about?"

"No. Why are you asking me?"

"You are older."

"You're his daughter." 

"Like that helps when it comes to understanding the male mind?"

Brigid shrugged "We aren't the only ones that PMS. We just have actual chemical reasons for it." 

Snorting sounds were heard around both stores. 

Allison looked shocked and then thoughtful. She nodded as if something she had suspected had been confirmed. She brightened. "Tomorrow is Earthday. The Bookstore will be closed. We will be free tomorrow." 

There was something in her tone that made Brigid wary. "And?"

"I have been paid for working in the store. You have been paid as well. We can go shopping together. You need some things for the apartment. I know where you can find some pillows and other things to make it look more like a home. I am a great bargain shopper. We should go shopping tomorrow." 

It wouldn't be as bad as a root canal. She did want to pick up more blankets and a few heavier clothes. She didn't plan on being outside as much as she had the feeling she would be from now on. She and Alex tended to haunt libraries and bookstores and places that they could hole up in cold and bad weather. And that was it. To her human body cold equaled bad weather. To a Wolfgard cold probably equaled wonderful playtime conditions. 

Oh crap. She would need to have a talk with Scott and Stiles. They had been good so far about not getting him out in the weather. His immune system wasn't as strong as it could be. It was why they went places where there were mainly adults. Adults that liked space around them. Less contagious germs. Plus with the Others she didn't know if they could get or give colds. She found it doubtful. She had yet to see a werewolf with the sniffles. 

Brigid sighed. "Alex and I need some heavier clothes for getting outside more. Not much right now. I guess I could pick out a few things for the apartment." Brigid looked at Allison's gleeful face and said sternly "I am going to get the things a few at a time. It isn't all going to be done tomorrow." 

Allison suddenly caught her in a bone crunching hug. "I know. Conservative. It will be fun. We will have a wonderful time. You will see." 

Winded, Brigid could only nod in agreement. 

It got busy after that. It was as if the world outside of the store suddenly realized the Bookstore would be closed tomorrow. They HAD to have something to read. It was imperative. It was urgent. It was maddening. 

Brigid was beginning to understand the Wolfgard habit of snarling. The Other didn't tend to dither. They may take some time to decide but it wasn't the crazy-making dance of "I want this one. No. This one. Do you have this book. I want this book. Why do you have to order it? This is a bookstore I want it now. Okay. I guess if you don't have it in the store you don't have it. This is a bookstore you know. I will take this one. No, not that one THIS one. I guess that is it. Oh. Wait. I want to look over here. Just keep this for me. I'll be back." 

Allison was letting her handle those. It had been deemed best after the fourth time a woman had changed her mind and then gotten snippy with Allison the young Wolfgard leaned into her personal space and enunciated... Chose. A. Book. Or. I . Will. BITE. You. 

Brigid did give Allison points for getting the sale. The woman grabbed the two books she had been dithering between, squeaked and scampered to the checkout. It may not have been prescribed 'customer service' but it had certainly been effective. 

She was standing at the register waiting for the woman to finish digging through the oversized bag she was calling a purse to find her money. It would have been helpful if she had started digging while she was waiting in line. Brigid made a note on a small piece of paper. She was going to ask Melissa if the chocolate bites could be made with Brandy. Chocolate and alcohol....the perfect answer to working retail. Finally! The woman found her money. The wad of it in the plastic bag. If the woman started counting out coins Brigid was going to let Allison bite her. She might even ASK Allison to bite. Bad Brigid. Bad, bad Brigid. With a smile that was more showing teeth than usual, Brigid started helping the woman count out the coins to purchase her books. Her pile of books. They needed a second register. One to use when the current person at one register had misplaced their brain. 

Maybe just the Brandy and forget the chocolate. She had two more hours of this. She was going to need something when the doors closed. 

Brigid took a deep breath. The woman didn't have enough for all the books. The Bookstore took cash. Not the human plastic. Not the human paper called checks. Cash. And the woman forgot that? Now she was trying to decide what book to put back. 

The man behind her reached around and handed Brigid enough cash to make up the difference. While the woman dithered about taking the money from a stranger, Brigid had no problem at all. She added it to all the coins, made the transaction, bagged the books and waved the woman on her way. When it looked like the woman was going to stand there and twitter, the Security Wolf got up and started walking toward her. Allison was headed in from the other direction. "You paid. Thank you for your money. Now go home and read your books. Goodbye."

The woman grabbed her bag and left. Brigid wasn't the only one muttering prayers of thanksgiving. 

Allison put her hands on her hips. "The Bookstore takes cash. NOT plastic. NOT the paper called checks. Cash. If you do not have any...do not pick up a book and take it to check out. If you do not have any cash, go to the bank before you come to my Father's store. No. We do not have a money machine here. No we will not get a money machine here. Find your money and have it ready when you stand at the cash register. I am tired. My feet hurt. I do not like wearing skin all day. I do not like wearing shoes. Today 'customer service' is NOT biting stupid humans. Any questions, comments or complaints can be directed to the Security Wolf. The one with the big teeth. Do not tell me. I am having a PMS. Thank you for your attention." 

Brigid caught Chris walking in the front door at the beginning of his daughter's announcement. He froze. Brigid wondered if he would try to sneak back out the door before his rather irritable child spotted him and decided to vent her frustrations to him or would he be brave and come inside. 

"There is my father. It is his store. You have a problem with 'customer service' as I have outlined it for today...you can take it up with the cranky, no-fur wearing male with smaller but still sharp teeth. I will be in the back filling the orders of people that have realized that if we don't have it in the store it will have to be ordered and have filled out the order forms. Have a nice day."

With that Allison stalked off toward the back. 

The entire store looked at Chris who instinctively snarled at them in surprise. They swung back to Brigid who just sighed. "The Cafe has hot cocoa and various kinds of chocolate. Buy some. It will soothe your nerves and theirs." 

The man at the counter paid for his books and eased toward the Cafe' as did several patrons that had bought books but hadn't left yet. 

Brigid hoped that Melissa had stocked enough chocolate for this experience in retail therapy. 

By the time that the Security Wolf howled the ten minute till closing warning, Brigid was ready to howl along with him. 

The last of the customers where very quick to line up at the register with their money out. The last three just muttered "keep the change" and left. Brigid put it in a small bowl for idiots who ran short. 

She looked at Chris. "I need to pee. My feet hurt too. I'm tired. I don't have a PMS but I want chocolate if the humans haven't eaten it all. I will count the register down when I get back from the bathroom and Melissa's." 

Chris slowly backed away. 

Allison came out of the back room. "Are the customers gone?"

Chris nodded. 

"Then why isn't the door locked and the sign turned to closed?" 

Chris opened his mouth, proved that he was a smart man by shutting it and turned to lock the door and put up the closed sign. 

"You go pee. I have chocolate bites for both of us. Wash your hands."

Brigid looked at her offended. "I ALWAYS wash my hands after I use the bathroom."  
"You are wasting time that you could be eating chocolate."

"Fine." Brigid went to pee and opened the door so Allison could see her washing her hands. 

When she came back Allison had the chocolate bites out. She took a deep breath, ate a few and then started on the closing of the store. She had been expecting a good day from what she had kept track of in her head. The final total rather startled her. From the raise of Chris' eyebrow it startled him as well. She hadn't worked at the Bookstore long enough to get a feel for what the daily, weekly and monthly averages were but this had to be a high. 

She made the deposit and brought the drawer back to $100.00. She turned to Chris. "Do you have a second cash register?" 

Allison and Chris looked at her totally baffled. Melissa and the girls wandered over bringing the things that didn't sell. She asked the question. "Why?"

"If we had a second cash register that Allison could work one and I could work one for when one of us gets stuck with an idiot that holds up the entire line." She looked at Allison "Change counting woman." 

"OH!" 

"I could have dealt with her not having the money ready, having everything in small bills or change and having to count every freaking bit of it out to me...slowly.. Allison could have gone to the second cash register, opened up another line and probably have everyone in the store checked out by the time I finished with 'change counting woman'. It may have been a few years since I have worked retail regularly but don't try to tell me that people have gotten any smarter or more prepared when it comes to checking out." 

Chris looked thoughtful. "You would handle the idiots?" 

"It is usually the person that gets stuck with the idiot but yes if you or Allison got stuck with a change-counter I could take over and you could move to the second register and start checking out the people that realized they needed to be ready to check out."

"I will get one." He looked around. There was the desk that was where the special orders were taken. "If I put a second register there, the people that ordered books and have come to collect them could pay for them there and not have to get in line."

Brigid looked the store over. "Good idea. I saw an idea the other day. There was a reading nook that had steps leading to the top. If we put a padded something on the top for the Security Wolf then he could see both registers and have a vantage point to see pretty much the entire store." 

Brigid had the feeling that the Security Wolf was very much in favor of that idea. 

Allison and Brigid arranged the carry bags that Melissa had brought for them. Scott, Stiles and Alex showed up in case more hands were needed to carry food so it wouldn't be wasted. Chris handed Allison and Brigid their envelopes. He turned off the lights except for the security ones and said "Let's get out of here." 

They were more than happy to oblige. 

Allison reminded Brigid "Shopping tomorrow." And then she was gone. 

Melissa looked at Brigid. "Shopping?"

"Alex and I need some heavier clothes if we are going to be outside more in cold weather. I want to get a few things for the apartment. I think Allison just wants to spend some of her very hard earned money." 

"I'll help." Melissa offered. 

Brigid wondered if Melissa was going to be helping her or Allison. In the end, it wouldn't really matter. It was going to be fun. 

Right now all she wanted was a shower and to sit with her feet up for awhile.

They all gathered their things and headed for the door. The girls headed to their car to head home. Chris and Allison headed for the Wolfgard area. The rest of them headed upstairs. 

Scott and Melissa went to their apartment. Stiles headed off to 'go annoy Teyla' so she would realize how much she had missed him. Alex and Brigid headed for what was becoming their home. It felt good. To have a safe place to go and to have friends. Strange friends but friends none the less. 

Alex was telling her all about his day with Stiles and Scott. Brigid wondered how closely she wanted to listen. How much of it would probably give her heart failure if she thought about it. It would be best if she listened closely. Find out what a Wolfgard and a Black Widow considered entertainment. 

And one small boy that adored them both. She was kind of fond of them herself. 

 

 

Chapter 20

Scott was well trained. He waited till his mother was lying on the couch after her shower and snack. Then he talked to her. 

"Teyla is back. We introduced her to Alex. They got along well enough. Chris left a note on her door that he wants to talk to her sometime on Earthday. Do you think that he is going to let Stiles move to over the Bookstore?" 

"With Chris nothing is predictable but there is the good chance that he will. The fact that he asked, as much as he ever does, Teyla to talk with him is a good sign." 

"I'd like to open up the gates between the Bookstore and the Cafe. Up here. I know the downstairs ones are already open. That way if we are needed or just want to visit we don't have to go down the stairs to outside and then back up. We can just walk across."  
"That would be a good idea. That way you can go back and forth from Alex's to here. You and Stiles are back and forth all day long. I agree that it would work out fine. I don't mind." 

"Allison and I did get the chance to talk about her training Alex and Brigid. She is going to work it out with Chris about the details."

"That's good." 

"Sam and Dean like her. They are going to keep an eye and ear on her when she is outside of the store as well." 

"Okay. With those two I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a "I feel so very sorry for you". It's good that the Wolfgard are taking to her. Very good if she intends to stay here. She is dealing with .. things... amazingly well." 

"Looking after Alex is good for Stiles. He has less time to think of things that get him in trouble. He does less things when he has Alex around that get him in trouble. That's always good. He has some plans in mind. Hopefully they work well." 

"What kind of plans? Who for?"

"Don't know. He's still thinking." 

"Doesn't he share what he's thinking with you?"

"Not always. I get a kind general what is running through his head. The surface stuff. But the deeper stuff he keeps to himself. I get that sometimes but not often."

"Huh."

They were both silent. 

"Would you be okay if I spent the night over at Stiles'?" 

"I'll be fine. You just spent the day with him. Why the night?"

"Alex and I spent the day with him. It kept him busy. He didn't have time to get upset about his father's new family. He also didn't have the chance to talk about it. If he is over there by himself, he will start thinking about it. Sometimes it isn't always good when Stiles thinks." 

Melissa was just going to let that go without comment. The Stiles part. "Fine with me. I can have the place to myself. I wouldn't mind having a 'just me' night." 

Scott got up and went to his room to grab a few things. He came out with a small bag and went over to the couch. 

Melissa got up to give him a hug and a kiss and then locked the door after him.  
She loved her son dearly. 

She would also love a night all alone. 

 

Chapter 21

Scott stood in front of the door to Stiles place. Despite what some people said about him he did think. He thought about more than food and Allison. 

He looked at the door. 

The door opened and Stiles looked at him. "Were you planning on coming in or were you going to spend the night out there?"

Scott moved into the room and tossed his bag on the bed. He heard Stiles close the door behind him. 

He could hear Stiles breath hitch slightly as he turned around to look at the other boy.  
"Are you going to go all wolfie on me? Whoa. Whoa. We are not doing pin the Stiles against the door again. I'm going to sit down on the bed and you are going to let me." Stiles moved slowly toward the bed and sat. 

Scott followed him. Closely. He knelt on the floor and moved in between Stiles' legs. 

"I hope this is just some wolfie thing you've developed. Otherwise Allison is going to have words for me. Words like 'bitch back off from my male'. I hope she uses her words. I don't want her to bite me. Or shoot me. That would not be a good thing. Are you listening to me?" The next thing out of Stiles mouth was a very startled squawking noise. 

Scott had pull him in close and buried his face in the curve of Stiles throat and shoulder. 

"You are going to do that scenting thing aren't you?" Stiles was trying for humor. 

Scott toed off his shoes and moved onto the bed pulling Stiles with him. He put Stiles on his back and put his head on Stiles chest. The steady sound of his heartbeat was comforting. It was steady but fast. Stiles was hiding. What he was feeling. What was hurting him. 

He could feel the stiffness in Stiles' body. The hesitance. The resistance. The hurt. He wasn't sure how to make it better. The first thing was to remind Stiles that he was cared for. That he was loved. He did love Stiles. He hadn't done a good job of it lately. He had been distracted by Allison. By all of the changes that had happened this year. It hadn't been a kind year. It had been one of turmoil. 

He knew that sometimes Stiles couldn't resist the need to weave webs. To bleed on the spidersilk. Blood for knowledge. The haunted look in the honey gold eyes told him that they hadn't been pleasant visions. He wondered how many of them Stiles had done alone. He was fully trained. Scott knew that. He also knew that things went better with someone there when a person visited the Twisted Kingdom. Someone to give the person a reason to go. More than that, a reason to come back. 

Scott was glad for Alex. The way that the boy and Stiles had begun to bond. But that was only a strand or two holding Stiles to them. It was still fragile. Easily snapped by a sudden wind or harsh touch. 

Touch. 

Alex was learning that it was safe to reach out. Stiles was teaching him that. Ironic since it was so difficult for Stiles to do. To reach out. To ask to be touched. Gently. Kindly. Affectionately. Those were the strands that held Stiles to them. To him. He had been preoccupied with his attraction to Allison and the strands between them had suffered from lack of attention. 

The time with his father and his father's new family had ...damaged... the strands that held Stiles to that part of family. 

Scott was seeing that now. He knew it from what Stiles had said earlier. He heard part of the details from Stiles. When it hurt too bad to keep in. There was more that was under what had been admitted. Much more. It was still hurting him. He had pushed the rest of it down and put on his mask of Stiles the Fool. 

Scott stroked his hand over Stiles' shoulder. Fierce and fragile. Such a contradiction. A male and a Black Widow. The son of a Wolfgard yet he had never shifted to Wolf. A two legged shape that had the needs of a Wolf. To be accepted. To be loved. To be pack. To be held closely even when he tried to pull away. 

Tonight Scott vowed that he would hold Stiles close. He would take care of Stiles. Take care of the needs of the Shape beneath Stiles' skin. 

He would take care of his best friend. 

It would start now. 

He turned his face to Stiles chest and rubbed back and forth. Slowly. Taking in the scents. Male. Earthy. The tisanes that Stiles and he fought about. The ones that Teyla and the Bodywalker thought he needed. The ones that brought his moods down to more mellow. They also made him more malleable. Stiles was Stiles. People needed to learn to deal with him the way he was or go the fuck away. The rapid fire thinking wasn't a bad thing. It wasn't Stiles' problem that other people had a hard time keeping up. 

He smelled some of the other people. Alex. Brigid. Melissa. Allison. Teyla and a bitterness. He had been near the stinky herbs. 

Scott huffed his displeasure. Stiles was wearing a sweatshirt with a t-shirt underneath. Scott pushed the shirts up out of the way. He rubbed his nose in the baby fine hair on Stiles' chest. 

Back and forth till the skin beneath him carried his scent stronger than any other except Stiles' own. Scott opened his mouth to deepen the taste and smell. He ignored the hands that were almost fluttering on his head and shoulders. Not pushing him way. That was all that mattered. Stiles didn't take easily. Not the things that really mattered to him. He had to be coaxed. 

Scott pushed at the cloth in his way. He ignored the grumbling words. They didn't mean anything. The tone that would signify that Stiles was actually upset was absent. He was making his babble for time tone. Things just dropped out of his mouth as his brain whirled for strategy. The babble was on an upper level of Stiles' mind. Where he wanted to go was deeper. Closer to the heart. 

Stiles' hands were as still as they got on his shoulders. His fingers were making the twitching movements that meant he wanted to touch. It would take more coaxing before he would give in to his need to touch. He was more comfortable with touching when Scott was in Wolf form. He was much more hesitant when Scott was wearing skin. 

Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. Scott could tell that Sties wasn't totally focused on him. There was a way to get his attention. Scott shifted to his partial form. And from the pitch of Stiles' voice that worked. He closed his eyes and concentrated on scent and the feel of Stiles. Stiles didn't run Wolf hot but he was warm. Soft but not squishy. 

Scott moved up higher. To the throat where the blood pulsed beneath the pale skin. The meaningless words had stopped. The soft sounds meant more. The uneven breathing. Stops and starts with no rhythm unless matched against touch. The edge was close. Very close. 

He knew Stiles. He would deal with the other emotions later. Right now he would give Stiles what he couldn't ask for with words. A safe place to fall apart. From pleasure. He could be a safe place now and later. When he pushed for the other things that were beneath Stiles' skin. 

He moved more over Stiles. He could feel the hesitant welcome. He used his teeth lightly. Carefully. He could feel the shudders that began to rack the body beneath him. There and there. He knew Stiles. When to use the hint of nail. To touch firmly. Tension and release. He shifted back to full skin and then them over more to the side. He held Stiles and ignored. The soft whimpers and the wetness on his neck where Stiles face was pressed. It was intense but brief. 

With a long, soft sigh the body in his arms went boneless. Relaxed. Finally. He had napped off and on all day. He would stand guard tonight while Stiles rested. Tomorrow was Earthday. There would be time and place to talk. Regardless if Stiles wanted to or not. He wasn't going to let the pain and hurt fester any longer.

Chapter 22

Brigid tucked Alex into bed. He quickly fell asleep. He had been more active today than in... a very long time. 

She sat in the rocker that someone had left. Sipped some of the tea that Stiles had put in her kitchen. And thought. 

She was Human. 

They were Other. 

It was more than they had another shape beneath their skin. It was a way of thinking. A way of viewing life and the world around them. Sometimes they were just people like her. Other times...

They amused her. Confused her. Scared her. That was typical. Those were emotions she understood since they were familiar. Confused and scared. They had been her companions since the accident. If she was honest, from before that. Not in the same way. It had been a long time since she had felt safe. Cared for. Accepted. 

This was new. Or a new texture to something that had been familiar. She was in a new world where the rules were different. It wasn't Human Law Does Not Apply. Human rules...were for Humans. They were Other. Most of the people in her life now. 

Melissa who was such a caretaker. Kind. Considerate. Supplier of the miracle chocolate bites. Mother. Wolfgard. Brigid had seen the Human facade. The part that had been developed to deal the Humans. But beneath that mask was something else. Something Dark and dangerous. Something she did and did not want to experience. She was drawn to the part of the woman that she 'knew'. Realizing she didn't know Melissa at all. She wanted to get to know the other woman. Count her if not friend then close acquaintance. There had been moments throughout the day where she had felt some sort of fledgling bond between the two of them. Most definite when they had been talking at Melissa's kitchen table about life choices and the men they had selected. A part of her realized that she was going through a grieving process. Her life outside the Courtyard had sucked. But she had, at one time, dreams. Dreams that would never see light in that world. Dreams that she wasn't sure could exist here either. There was a higher possibility. 

She had wanted to get married to a man that cared about her and she, him. Have children to care for and help grow. To make a life together. To do good things and make a difference. To be proud of what she had accomplished at the end of the day. Some how...well. So much for that dream. Her marriage had been a nightmare instead. 

Brigid shifted her thoughts to a girl as young as she had once been. So much potential.   
Allison. The Wolfgard was closer to the surface in her. She hadn't developed the Human dealing skills that came from exposure. She was beautiful. Smart. Funny. Blunt as a fist to the face. She could also be kind and considerate. Scary. Confusing. Brigid wasn't sure of much anymore and wasn't terribly trusting of her instincts. She rather enjoyed being around Allison. Allison seemed to want to be around her in turn. She just couldn't quite figure out what it was that Allison wanted from her. Where did she fit in to the group at the Bookstore? What was her role? 

With thoughts of Melissa and Allison came Scott. He orbited around them. Sort of. He had his own gravitational pull. 

Scott. Champion of frightened little boys. Wolfgard. Patient. Gentle. Not what she expected. She had been more accurate that she could have guessed when she compared him to still waters. He had depths that weren't apparent at first. He had his masks also. She wouldn't term him as aggressive. Not like she had seen out of the other Wolfgard. She watched the young male that had taken over her son's care. He was quick to act. He followed but he wasn't a follower. She wondered about still waters and depths. And what lurked beneath. Did she really want to know? She wanted to know that Alex would be safe. He had been the center of her world for so long. From the first time she had held him. She did believe that Scott would keep him safe. But let him grow. Not keep him in the same sort of bubble that was her inclination. 

A snort of laughter escaped...they were teaching him to be male. Something she certainly wasn't equipped to do. They were also teaching Alex to trust and to reach out to a male. It no longer automatically was a, not exactly threat, some word that meant not-trusted. To be suspect. Guarded against. It had been a good mindset out there with the men they had dealt with. Here? The Other weren't the 'stab you in the back' sort. They were more the in-your-face, rip-your-throat-out type. There was an odd sort of security in that. You know where you stood. Security and comfort. Found in some of the oddest places and packaging. Some very nice packaging. She wasn't dead yet. She did notice. 

The other body in Scott's orbit. Or was it the other way around? 

Stiles. Contradiction. Male Black Widow. She hadn't even come close to understanding what that meant. She had read some of the old books. Reading about something and experiencing the fullness of it...well. Sometimes words on paper, were less than useless. They couldn't always do layers. Thick layers and thin layers. The colors that shimmered through. Feelings that weren't solely emotion. Vibes? That sounded so... yeah, right, sure, have you been taking your meds? 

Stiles was hard to describe. He was...busy. Unique. Quirky. Talkative. The one that for some reason her son trusted to reach out to. He talked but not about things that seemed to matter. He said more. Revealed more with his body language than the words that tumbled out of his mouth. He wasn't Wolfgard. She was hopelessly behind on learning their non-verbal communication. He had a style of his own that... would take her some time to figure out. Alex seemed to...have it down. He understood Stiles? No. Not the right word. He..somethinged...Stiles. Maybe she should give up her boxes and her label stickers. It wasn't like they had done her a whole hell of a lot of good in the past. Alex and Stiles got along well. End of sentence. 

Now on to the big male. Sort of. Security Sam towered over him but he certainly had that large and in charge aura. 

Chris. Grumpy. Snarly. So very compassionate. A male. But perhaps a male that could be trusted. To use his strength for her instead of against her. He had a sense of humor. He adored his daughter. He and Melissa were close. There was friendship between them. Friend. He would be a good friend and a very bad enemy. 

They touched her. The Wolfgard. Freely and easily. Not as much as they did each other. Personal space wasn't evidently a Wolfgard concept. She was comfortable with Melissa and Allison. She was oddly more comfortable with their touch than with Maggie and Margie touching her. 

Scott made her uneasy sometimes. He would back off when she flinched when he moved suddenly to hand her something or to get something for her. Or he had. 

Something had changed. He had evidently decided to do something different. When she flinched, he would just stay still. Not move forward but no longer backing away. The patience of a hunter as he waited for her to take what he was offering. 

What made her uneasy came more from her more than him. The fact that she wanted to be close. At first it had kind of freaked her out. But then it began to come clearer. He was safe. He was safe to touch. To cuddle. He wouldn't turn on her unexpectedly. Or she didn't think so. But she had been there only such a short period of time. It wasn't safe yet. She could be fooled. They weren't Human and she would be stupid to use Human judgment to deal with them. But sometimes...she just wanted. To be held.   
There were thoughts and emotions that weren't easy to sort out with that thought. Maybe that was all of them. Did she have the courage to reach out and take what they were offering her? Did she even remember what courage was anymore? 

It was late and she was tired. She needed to rest. 

She was going shopping with Melissa and Allison tomorrow. Whether or not it looked like she was going to have an adventure. Whether she wanted one or not.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 23

Brigid slept in slightly. She noticed that Alex was tired as well. It was a kind of a good tired. He had gone to bed and not woken once. 

Oatmeal with dried fruit for breakfast. Honey. Butter. She was pleased to see that Alex also had an appetite. It was amazing how much of a difference a couple of days made. He was more relaxed than she had ever seen him. 

She laid his clothes out on his bed and went to get ready. He preferred to try to dress himself. Buttons still gave him trouble and the laces on his shoes. Today he had pullovers. He rarely asked for anything. He had mentioned when he knew that they were getting clothes that he would like a red hoodie like Stiles. She would try her best to find one. If not she would order one. 

She tied his shoes for him. Thinking that they both needed some sort of boots to be out in the weather. It would be best to appeal to Melissa and Allison to find those. Saying that they didn't do all of their running around in bad weather in fur. They had to get in in skin sometime. She would think. She could be wrong. There was so much she didn't know yet. 

Brigid stopped. She was looking forward to this. Spending time with Allison and Melissa. They weren't friends but they were more than acquaintances. She had not had women she was close to in.... Since before her marriage. That was sad. And telling of how isolating and destructive her marriage was. She needed to work on ending it. Legally. But that was another day. Today was for enjoyment. 

She wondered when they were going to get together. She didn't remember them setting a time or place. 

There was a knock on the door. 

It startled her. For a moment she was afraid. But then she realized that it was most likely Scott or Stiles. She opened the door to see both Allison and Melissa. 

"We are ready. You ready?" Allison was almost bouncing with excitement. 

"Let me get our coats. Alex would like to look for a red hoodie like the one that Stiles wears. We also both need boots. I'm not sure what kind." 

Melissa spoke up. "I have some ideas on the boots. We will go and see what is available."

Allison then offered. "The hoodie was a joke. I'll get him one. It has to be ordered."

Alex looked confused. "Joke?"

"Get Stiles to tell you the story. He is the best story teller. He does voices." 

That worked for Alex. He took the hand that Allison held out to him. He was a little shyer with her but not as much as he was with people he didn't know that well. "Let's get going. We have so much to look for and at. We are wasting time." 

Allison bounced off and Melissa and Brigid looked at each other. Brigid asked "How much coffee has she had?"

"Evidently more than either one of us." 

Brigid just sighed and followed them down the stairs. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brigid was grateful when Scott showed up. She wasn't nearly as glad to see him as Alex. He lifted both arms for Scott to pick him up. "I'm TIRED." 

"Going shopping with females is hard work. What did you get?"

"I have boots for wet and boots for dry. I have heavy shirts and pants. Not many because I'm still growing. I can go outside and play with you and Stiles and not get as cold." 

"Is there anything else that you need to buy for him?" Scott was looking at his mother more than Alex's. 

"No. He is tired and we have found everything that he really needs for now. Why?"

"I came to steal him away." 

"For? What are you going to do?"

"Boy things."

Brigid had to ask "What kind of boy things? "

"Ask my mother if you think that you really want to know what boys get up to when you get a bunch of them together. Teaching him to pee his name in the snow is going to be the one that you will probably approve of the most."

Brigid thought he was joking. She looked at Melissa who was nodding. "Seriously?"

"Name peeing in the snow is good behavior. He is a male. Right now he is a little male. One day he will be a big tacky, grumpy male that likes to hang out with other males and do stupid things. Let him ease his way into it. Scott and Stiles won't do anything too ...stupid if he is with them."

"Please Momma?"

Brigid nodded. They had taken excellent care of him so far. It seemed as if they had decided that he was theirs to care for. She needed to let go some. "Check in from time to time." 

Scott left with Alex who was so excited to go and play with the big boys. 

 

 

Chapter 24

It was after a very good lunch that Stiles told Scott and Alex that they were going to visit Teyla. He had spoken briefly to her and she had agreed to look Alex over. 

Alex was less than thrilled. "How much is it going to hurt?"

"Hurt? Why should it hurt?"

"It always hurts when I have to go to the Healer and get looked at. Stuck. They take my blood. Stick me in things. I don't like it at all. I'm not sick. Why do I need to go and see her? I don't think that I want to." 

Scott was proud of Alex for that little bow-up at Stiles. He stroked the hunched shoulders and down the thin back of the boy nestled in his lap. Male attitude waking up now. 

Stiles looked slightly surprised at the resistance. "She just runs her hands over you. It doesn't hurt. If it hurts we will stop. I want her to tell me what you can and can't do. What is going to be good for you and what I need to watch for." 

"Why do you have to ask her? Why can't you just ask me? Why can't you figure it out? You're smart."

"You are Human. I know Others. I don't know Humans."

"So?"

"I don't want to hurt you because I didn't know. I don't want you to get sick. Please let her look? She will only touch you and look at you. If it hurts you say so and it stops. I promise." 

Alex looked thoughtful. "Okay fine."

Stiles smiled brightly "That's my little cubling." 

He picked Alex up and started for the Herb Store where they would meet Teyla. Alex draped his arms over Stiles' shoulders with a very tired, put-upon sigh. 

Scott did look at Stiles. "You looked him over. Why Teyla?"

"Her healer skills are much stronger than mine. She had more experience with humans. Not as much as one of the Bodywalkers but more than most. It will work for an idea of his overall health. If she and I both come to the same conclusion then it is most likely correct. I don't want to take any chances with my little brother." 

Scott understood then. Alex was the little brother that had been offered to him when his own family had denied him. Stiles would be very protective. And over-board was Stiles' default setting. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott noticed how distant and distracted Teyla was as she greeted them. She was usually...better with children. He could tell that Alex wasn't at all happy with the situation. Make that less happy. He hadn't been thrilled in the first place. He wasn't wearing his happy face as he was staring at Teyla. 

She greeted them with a nod and then immediately started in on Stiles. 

"We will need to talk after I have looked at the boy. Chris left a note on my door. He and I made time to talk. He had some things that he had thought of. It will work out very well with the other things that are happening. Let me look the boy over then they can go and find something to do while I let you know what changes are going to be taking place." 

What the actual fuck? Scott looked at the Black Widow in confusion. What was this 'I will let you know what changes are going to be taking place' shit? Stiles had no say in it? What? It didn't effect him? Then why was she dumping this shit on him!? 

Ohhhhh, he was very much thinking Teyla had spent too much time with the Bitch Coven. He had never liked them from the first time he had gone with Stiles to meet them and they had thrown him out. He was a male and couldn't .... something. They would be tainted by spending time with someone that was unfortunate enough to be born with a dick? It was probably why the dislike they had for Stiles from the start had turned into a real hate-on as he got older. And the fact that Stiles was wickedly powerful at Craft was probably kicked them in their sacred girl parts. He tood a deep breath. A very deep breath. One of them needed to stay calm. Stiles looked like his was shredding. Alex had now gone to glare at Teyla who had yet to acknowledge him. This was going to go oh so well. Not. 

Alex had a stoic expression on his face as Teyla indicated that he lay on a table. Scott had helped him strip down to his underwear. They could see the scars that the accident had left on his small body. She looked him over. Neither of them looked thrilled at the experience. 

Scott made a mental note. Screw this. If for some reason Stiles felt like he needed advice or just someone to validate what he was thinking ... they certainly weren't going to be talking to Teyla. They were going to the human Bodywalker for anything else. This was enough of this shit. The cubling didn't need it and if Teyla looked down on Stiles' little brother again there was a strong possibility of bloodshed.   
She indicated that Scott should come over and help Alex get his clothes back on. While he did that, Teyla and Stiles moved aside and went over what she had found. 

Scott and Alex were working on the clothes. It was cool enough that Alex was shivering slightly. He let Scott dress him because it was quicker then tried to crawl inside Scott's skin to get warm again. He was focused on Alex and couldn't really hear what was being said. He was watching more than anything. It wasn't looking good. 

Stiles had questions. Teyla didn't seem to be able to answer him. The look of exasperation on Stiles' face when he just gave up asking must have hurt Teyla's pride. She was even shorter with him than she had been. 

Stiles walked back over to them and Teyla followed her expression less than her usual calm distance. 

She then got to the point. "I have spent time with the Coven this week that was badly needed. There have been many changes this year. More need to happen for the good of the Coven. My presence is required more than what I have been able to manage up to this point." 

Stiles fired back rather warm himself by now. "And I have told you that I can handle things. Most things. There are only a few that I need you for. I can find someone to help me with the shop. In fact, if you remember, I have mentioned that the Bodywalker's daughter was interested in helping out. She wants to specialize more in the preparation of the medicines rather than the application. I have asked you repeatedly to talk to her. Is this Coven shit to the point now that it has to come from a woman before you will even pay attention? Well you are in luck. The Bodywalker is going to catch you sometime today if possible and if not she will set up an appointment to confer with you. Female to female about her female daughter that is for some reason interested in working with the Coven."

"That is impractical. She is not a Black Widow. The Coven will not train her." 

"Oh. For. Fuck's. Sake. What have they done to you. You used to have a brain. You used to be able to think for yourself. I used to fucking respect you. You stood up for what you believed and didn't take any shit off of anyone and that included the Bitch Coven." 

"That is enough. I will not hear such words spoken against the Coven." 

"No shit about that." 

"You will move to the apartment over the Bookstore. This has been accepted by Chris. You may put your own wards up over the Bookstore and the Cafe. The Herb Store will be mine. The Coven is sending a Journey Maid Black Widow. She will stay in the smaller apartment. I can open it up so we can work together. She will have her own space as will you. She will handle the Herb Store when I cannot." 

At that point, Stiles did the smartest thing that Scott had ever seen him do. He turned around and walked out of the Herb Store workroom. 

Scott followed carrying Alex. He caught the tongue Alex stuck out at Teyla out of the corner of his eye. Yeah. That went ever so well. Huh, he was going to have to teach the cubling to do a decent lift-lip. He could just have Alex watch Chris and Allison. They were both Masters at the technique. Okay humor interjected into the situation. 

This was just a crap-fest. 

Now damage control was up to him. Stiles was upset. He had not only been told there was no place for him at his father's table... He had just been chunked out of the home that had been his for..never mind. Several years. Chunked out on his dick to make room for a female Journey maid to take over the store that he had kept going for how-ever-many years. Journey maid. Journey-freaking-maid. He was working on cleaning up his language. The first time Alex slipped an "aw fuck" in when something went wrong would be the last time he would be able to eat sitting at the table. 

Scott knew where the gold-dust was in Stiles' hourglass. Wait, that sounded kind of kinky. He shook his head. Back on task, Stiles rambling was rubbing off on him. 

He didn't really have any ideas but he could tell Allison and his mom. They would like 'force of nature' it and Stiles would be taken care of. What the fuck had they done to Teyla's brain? This was more than a little scary. Kind of has she been possessed way of thinking. There was way much more going on than just the Herb Store and business. Like riptides more going on. This was why he preferred the Wolfgard way of dealing with problems, piss on it, beat the crap out of it or eat it. Simple. Matter-of-fact and to-the-point. Maybe he needed to point out to Stiles that he WAS half Wolfgard. It could be interesting if nothing else. 

Oh joy. Oh fun. Let the screaming begin and the blood run. Well, after he got Alex somewhere else. Why was this his life???


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 25

The door to the apartment that was about to be Stiles' new home was unlocked and ajar. That was good. Otherwise Scott thought that Stiles might have just blown the door off the hinges. 

"Fucking fine. The apartment and everything in it is mine." 

Scott started to say something and then closed his mouth. 

"The Magpies can have anything that they left. Just because I seem to be surrounded by bitches today doesn't mean I'm going to be one. Not to them anyway. I'm pissed. Perfect time to clean. The girls are neat and they are the only ones that really ever stay here. Someone is just going to have to take them home if the weather gets bad. That or let them leave earlier. Your mother has a freaking brain. She can let them go and you are usually around to help. If they Magpies are leaving then most of the other humans will be headed home as well. It will all work out fine. I'm going to clean it from top to bottom. I want to purify it. I'm going to claim it as mine." 

Oh. Shit. Oh. Freaking. Shit. Stiles talking about claiming things was never a happy, happy, joy, joy thing. Hopefully, scrubbing the apartment from top to bottom would burn out some of the anger. 

Stiles took the bathroom. It didn't take long to wipe the entire thing down. Scott was working on the wall that was beside the bathroom. The bathrooms backed up to each other. Alex was happily wiping the wall as high as he could reach. Scott and Stiles would take the upper half and the ceiling. Alex as the resident short person got the floor and the inside of the low cabinets. 

"Stiles? Come here for a minute." 

Stiles came out of the bathroom sweaty and curious. "What?"

"Look right here. I always thought it was decorative." 

Stiles looked at the wall. Alex came over to look as well. 

The woodwork on that wall was carved in patterns. "Uh. Scott. That is decorative."

"Remember what Teyla said about opening up the two apartments? You have a patterned wall too. I have the feeling that is where they open up to each other. It's the only place that it COULD from that apartment."

"Okay. Okay. Start at the center? Would they lock? Could they be separate or are they linked together?" Stiles and Scott started pressing the carving. They spent a few minutes poking and pressing. The sudden click made all three of them freeze. Including Alex who was looking at them wide-eyed with his hand on a part of the carving that was at his eye level. He was over to the side. Whatever he pushed allowed the doors to be opened. It was rather like pocket doors. 

"Well. I guess there is your answer. We have this side open. Come on Cubling. Let's go to your place and you work your magic on finding the latch to your door." Scott and Alex headed out the door. 

Stiles could hear them moving around in the room next door. It didn't take Alex long to find the same picture that he pressed on Stiles' side. 

Scott opened the door and grinned at Stiles. "This is going to make babysitting easy." 

"Uh-huh. The question is going to be who is babysitting whom." 

Scott snickered. "Alex is keeping an eye on us of course." 

"I'm sure the moms would agree. Close it for now so we can finish cleaning and purifying over here." 

"You don't want to do both?"

"Brigid needs to do her own. It wouldn't be right for me to do it for her." 

Scott and Alex closed the door as Stiles did the same. They came back over and got back to work cleaning. It didn't take long with the three of them. Alex was a hard worker.   
Stiles burned sage and other herbs in a bundle to purify the room. He looked at Scott. "I may need to do this more than once. I'm still pissed at Teyla. It has an effect." 

"Okay. I can understand that. What now?"

Stiles smiled. 

Scott could see 'pissed' was an understatement. It had gone from hot to cold anger. 

"They want wards? I'll give them fucking wards. I've been pushed aside. Dismissed as worthless or one step above. Some bitch from the all-female-all-bitch-all-the-time Coven is coming to either help or take over the store that I have spent most of my waking hours helping to build up. I know the customers and they know me. They trust me to do my best. If I don't know or can't help I tell them that and don't try to bullshit them into buying something they don't need or want. 

"I even get along with the Humans and I'm getting good at helping them. I've worked with both Bodywalkers. That's how I know about the Bodywalker's daughter. I haven't been sitting on my ass doing nothing. I've studied what Teyla gave me. She may think that she and the Coven are all that there is but they are not. I found other people to help me learn. I have researched and questioned. I didn't take anything on blind faith. I found one mentor that encourages that. He welcomes it. 

"I get an idea; he lets me talk it out. He doesn't immediately shoot it down. He makes me work for it. He is the one that I worked with on wards. And that just pisses me off even more. Like I need her or some other Black Widow to hold my hand? They are the only ones that can cast wards? It's like she's going to deign to let me cast inferior wards. Under her oh-so-precious-Coven-taught crap. 

"Chris wants me to put up wards. Your mother is fine with this shit?"

"Wait a minute now. The only thing Momma was fine with is that you got to move to somewhere that you had more space. She talked to Chris about respecting you more. She's on your side. She's not at all fine, I would just bet, with the shit that Teyla just pulled. Leave her out of that mad. She's going to be pissed enough on her own." 

"You are right. Fine. We all three need to shower and change into clean clothes. Then I'll prepare and cast the wards." 

"Oh joy." Come on Cub. Let's get you some clean clothes. I'll grab mine and we will get cleaned up. Then see what kind of crazy Stiles is going to pull. I can guarantee it will be exciting. You will probably need to pee before we start." 

"Why?" 

"The last time he got this stirred up over someone's stupid he nearly made me piss myself when he started getting snarly back." 

"I thought he wasn't a wolf?"

"Wolves aren't the only thing that snarls."

"Oh." 

He and Alex headed off while Stiles went to shower and get his things ready. 

 

Chapter 26

Stiles went next door to his ...to the apartment. It was no longer his. There were so many things lately that he had been told were no longer fucking his. Not his father, his brother and sister and unborn cubling. Not his Blood even though the same blood ran in their veins as ran in his. Diluted but the same blood. 

He looked around for the last time and said good-bye. He pulled out the things that he would need. 

This is where he would show that he has come into his own as a Black Widow. There was no backing down or turning back from this point. He was standing at the bridge. Did he light the fire? Light it and burn what was behind him. He would have no choice but to go forward. Let go of what was past and unchangeable. Unreachable. Let the dreams of family die. Grieve and move on. He would find a family. If not of Blood then of Choice. He was worthy of love and acceptance. He knew that even if he doubted from time to time. 

He was so hurt and pissed. He had been stockpiling. He had known in some ways that it would come to this. He wasn’t stupid. He could read the signs that were shoving themselves in front of his face. 

There were about to be some surprised bitches. The Coven thought they owned his ass because Teyla had trained him. She had been one of his teachers and mentors but she wasn’t the only one. A small part of him wondered that she had always kept that to herself and away from the Coven. There was so much going on under the surface. There had been for longer than he actually understood. It was creeping into his awareness. 

Things had fallen into place even though at the time…well, it hadn’t been pleasant. In fact parts of it had fucking hurt. 

Teyla had never really cared to share her workroom with him. He had seen other pairs, admittedly few, at the Coven and he knew that they worked closer together. She had quickly made him a room of his own. He had done most of his learning and Crafting in that room off the main part of the store. 

Until the day that he had fallen down some stairs in the dark and discovered there was more under the surface in a literal way than he had ever suspected. 

There was an entire area under the first floor of the bookstore. It was freaking huge, pretty much empty and all his. And the spiders. And the dust-bunnies. 

She had been so run ragged by the Coven crap that she didn’t realize that he had set up the area as his personal workroom. With some help. Scott knew because he had been grunt labor to get the place clean. He had set it up the way that made sense to him. Taking things from his other mentors but owning it and his successes and his failures. 

This had been the year of change. The Year of the Tower. For everything he had made for her; he had made two for himself. 

He was sick of things being sent from the store to the Coven without payment. What he got back wasn't nearly enough for his efforts. If he wanted to sell the stuff to a Coven, not that he was fond of any of them at this fucking point, he could pick his own. 

He also had access to Others that he could trade with. He actually preferred that. He had a nice arrangement with his other mentor. Cutting the ties to Teyla would still hurt. But not as much as it once would have. She had been distancing herself from him for some time. They had never had the closeness he had...she had never been a mother to him. A small part of him hoped that she had a reason for that. More than just that she had never wanted a son. That in her own way she cared about him. 

He packed everything up that was in the small apartment and carried it over to the new place. He was going to ward his things as well. Teyla was off somewhere. She had been for awhile. Now would be a really good time to...well, now would be a good time. Maybe good wasn't the correct word. 

He was just getting into the shower when Alex and Scott showed back up. He had them make them all some calming tea. He needed them to be calm for this. 

He knew what he wanted. He had been studying since he had put up the wards when Scott had been attacked. 

Teyla wasn't his only source of information on protection and all of her ways weren’t his choice. His other patron understood about protecting family. Stiles had gone to him from time to time to work on his ability with Craft. There was nothing that Stiles could metaphorically throw at him that the man couldn't handle. Between them they had experimented in an empty cottage. That way if they ended up burning it to the ground they would still have somewhere to sleep. 

Stiles put the carvings and blood in place. Upstairs and down. The Bookstore and They Cafe. Everything was ready. He just needed to cast the wards he had been planning for some time. 

There had been a conversation held in the Dark of the night and moon. It hadn't been a good or pleasant month of either of them. How far would you go to protect your own? 'Would you go to war for me?" There had been that question asked in jest at a gathering they had attended. Meet and greet. Polite evasion had been the response. Stiles knew the answer. He knew his answer to the question. He was now going to let the rest know how far he was willing to take things. How far down he was willing to dive into the Abyss. 

He closed his eyes and thought of all that he held dear. What he was willing to do to keep them safe and from harm? What he was willing to be? To stop holding back. To stop hiding. He let himself fall into the Darkness. Down, ever downward to the deepest parts of him and his nature. To the exact place that he needed to be. Where the Dark fires purified him of doubt and fear and division. He gathered them to himself and rose to the level he would cast from. 

There was no one but the three of them in the two buildings that would now be considered one. Stiles made the final mark and unleashed the wards. 

The building creaked and shuddered as the Black flames ran and danced. Up from somewhere deep beneath to the delicate surface. Under, over and through. They touched everything. Learning and knowing. "Would you go to War for me?" Stiles gave his answer in more than spoken words. More that platitudes and evasions. 

He could hear Scott chanting "ohshitohshit. Ohfuckrun." 

Scott pulled Alex to him and held him tightly. They were both looking rather wild-eyed. Scott was muttering about their mothers were going to KILL them. They were so dead.   
Alex's expression was somewhere between terrified and thrilled. Trust won out and he looked around in wonder as the flames brushed against his skin then moved on. 

Everything settled. 

Stiles looked at Scott and saw him take a deep breath and swallow hard. "Good work. I think I'm going to go and change my pants." 

He got up with Alex and staggered out of the apartment. 

Stiles sighed in pleasure. It was done. He was home. This was him and this was his. 

 

Chapter 27

They would all meet outside of the building. Scott and Alex had come out first when he heard them calling frantically. It seemed as if no one could get in at the moment. That wasn’t exactly good for business. 

Stiles came out from behind them about a minute later. It was sort of funny how the doorway that Dean had been leaning against at the Café’ suddenly let him in. He did a quick dance step to keep from falling over. 

And at that everybody started talking. Over each other asking questions and not bothering to wait for any answers. 

Stiles was calm. Too calm. He didn’t bother to say a word which was sort of scary in and of itself. A quiet Stiles. Not of the good. 

Melissa, Allison, and Chris came at a run with Brigid trailing behind. They came down on the side of confused and alarmed. Brigid calmed down when she saw that Alex was fine. She alternated between petting him and petting Scott. 

Melissa didn’t bother with petting. She just had a grip on him that was cutting off circulation. It was a good thing he had Wolfgard healing. He would still have bruises for a few hours from her frightened grip. 

Chris and Allison were looking around rather stunned. He moved Allison over closer to the huddle around Scott and started examining the markings on his property. 

Sam and Dean did a shrug eyebrow dance thing and followed after him talking quietly enough that Scott couldn’t overhear them. Not that he could hear much from the higher pitched tones that were ringing in his ears from Teyla and the new Black Widow. 

It could be condensed down to “What the fuck happened here?” 

The Coven critter was in fairly decent shape. She had kept up with Teyla’s all out run.   
Scott was thinking of calling her “Snoots”. Alex actually used soft voice as he spoke in Scott’s ear. “She looks like she smells farts. I don’t like her.”

Scott turned his head to speak in Alex’s ear. “I don’t think I like her either. We are stinky boys.” 

Alex giggled. He was the only one at the moment that seemed to be finding anything humorous. 

 

The new Black Widow was stunned by Stiles wards. There were etched blackened flames around ever opening of the two building. Those were in no shape or fashion what a Black Widow would or could do to protect.

Those were War-crafted. 

“He is not a Black Widow! No. I will not work with someone that can…he cannot be part of the Coven. No High Priestess would countenance such a thing or train such.” 

“You sure as hell had no problems taking anything and everything that I made? Every time your precious Coven came through, they damn near stripped the store clean. Who the fuck do you think was doing all the work? They had Teyla so busy chasing her tail and theirs she barely had time to sleep or eat.” 

“No. You claim to have Crafted the herbals? I have tested some of those. They were well done. She must have had other assistance or she is a remarkable teacher to get such concepts through your brain.” 

“You bitch.” 

A shrill whistle from Chris brought the hostilities to a halt for the moment. “Stiles doesn’t lie. He made most everything in the store. He is trained. He is the one that has been running the Herb Store for the past couple of years. Teyla has been in and out too much to handle the day to day running of the store.” 

“Wolfgard. I didn’t ask you.” 

Scott could hear a very low growl from Allison. Alex reached out and petted her hair. “She’s a fart-smeller. We ignore those kind of people.” 

Allison blinked slowly and then looked at Scott for a translation. 

He shrugged. “Her poo is the only poo that doesn’t stink.” 

“You two have spent a good deal of time together. Haven’t you?”

Alex and Scott frowned in tandem at Allison. That didn’t exactly sound like a statement or a compliment. She was girl-speaking again. 

“The customers know me and know what I can do.” 

Snooty snorted. “There should be a real Black Widow supervising the Herb Store. Who were the majority of HIS customers? Humans? Who wouldn’t know what was well Crafted and what was crap? If there was no Black Widow there like me or Teyla then the store would be empty. Who would come to YOU for help?” 

“Oh, you did not just go there. ...”

Chris proved he had balls of brass. The new Black Widow and Teyla were standing shoulder to shoulder. He doused them with a bucket of water. 

“To your rooms. ALL of you. Or I swear to the Darkness I am going to turn a fire hose on you!”

Teyla and the no-name Black Widow went. They were wet and it was cold. Scott saw a faint smile on Teyla’s face before she went back to her more neutral expression. She had not wanted the Journey maid and Stiles in the same building. Who was she actually protecting? Why did Black Widows always have to do all this twisted shit? 

Stiles was smoldering. Coldly smoldering. He turned and went inside the Bookstore and headed upstairs. 

Scott put Alex down so she could continue to pet him. He had his own not so little boy to calm down and soothe. 

Allison followed him. “What the Darkness happened? What was that? What did he DO? That scared the shit out of me. I almost had to change clothes. I thought something had blown up and all I would find was tiny little pieces. What the fuck?”

Alex looked at his mother torn but then turned and ran after the boys. They could hear him begging Stiles to wait for him. It got through the rage. He stopped and picked Alex up. 

Chris watched them head back into the building. "Good. Having Alex there will keep him from killing someone. In front of Alex anyway. I need a drink and what the fuck happened?"

"I have Brandy. Inside the Cafe'. I think I would really like to sit somewhere quiet for a few minutes till the shakes wear off." Melissa led the way into her store. The others followed. 

 

Chapter 28

They went into the Café’ and raided the coffee stash and laced it with alcohol. Not the best of methods but all of them were feeling a bit shaky. 

"Mother Night! That scared the living shit out of me. I honestly thought something had blown up again. I didn't think that wards... I've been around when Teyla put up or renewed wards. It was nothing and I do mean nothing like that." Chris took a sip of his coffee. Thought about it and added a bit more Brandy. 

Sam looked at Dean. "Those were not typical Black Widow wards. I have no idea where he learned that but....I don't think it was something that the Coven taught him. The baby Widow was pretty freaked. Teyla was hiding it better but she was just about to wet herself. I saw her face for the few seconds that it took them to go up. It was a cross between Scott's 'ohfuckrun' and the knowledge that it was already too late to run. She did not teach him that and I don't think that she realized that he was capable of them. I think she knew more than she was saying when the baby Widow was freaking." 

Dean looked at the others. "Something's going on. Something has been going on all year long. With the Coven. Every time they come around or Teyla goes there more shit is stirred up. They have never been this in your face controlling. I know that Teyla was the only one that seemed to support Stiles being trained. I know that she has faced some opposition in the past. I think that this year they have finally gotten to her. She's stopped fighting. I don't know if the baby Black Widow is to watch Stiles or Teyla. I don't know and I really don't fucking like it." 

"What is done is done. I said he could put up wards and Stiles certainly managed to out do himself on the 'ohfuckmenow' scale. I'm not testing them. I'm not asking where he learned them or who from. I am just going to mind my own business and offer him a job. He seems to be currently unemployed." The Brandy seemed to be working on Chris.

Melissa looked at him in surprise. "Oh. Mother. Night." She looked at the others. "He is isn't he? I lost track with the screaming and snarling. Oh this is going to be good. You know that with all of the crap that has been going on with the Coven this year Stiles has had most of the day to day running of the Herb Store. About all that Teyla managed to do was run herself ragged between the Coven and Stiles carrying things back and forth and oh was that ever a sore point with Stiles. I was around because Scott had asked me to bring them something to eat one Earthday when he was helping Stiles restock the store after the Coven had visited in person and in mass. 

I have always known that Stiles had a temper. For all his volatility you really don't see it break loose. Not his temper. His mouth, that's pretty much a constant. He was quiet. I brought the food and he was standing there looking at the shelves. He was coldly furious. I admit it. I dropped off the food and let my son handle it. I asked him about it later that evening. 

The Coven had come for some reason. They did bring supplies. The ingredients to make various things that I don't even pretend that I know anything about. I do know that it is labor intensive and a real pain in the ass to make some of that stuff. They pretty much wiped him out of all but a handful. They didn't ask. They didn't say good job. They didn't say thank you. I doubt that they even gave him a kiss or flowers before they bent him over and screwed him. That was early in the year. I knew then that it was going to get ugly before it was all over. I am hoping that today was ugly enough. 

Teyla was ruthless in his training. He had to be better than the best because he was male. They don't respect or value him but they can certainly use him. And now that they have cut him loose from the store and put the baby Black Widow there....I wonder if they think that he is still going to make anything for them? I don't think that someone really thought this through. I think that there is going to be some serious bitchfest screaming matches this coming week and month as all of the repercussions of today hit. Aftershocks."

Sam started snickering. "Oh will this ever come round to bite them on the ass. They went from having Stiles who is beyond talented at that kind of stuff at their beck and call to having nobody. I don't know that they are going to figure it out till they send someone for supplies and there are none to be had. I hope that I'm around for that little encounter." 

Chris sighed and looked at Brigid. "We need a plan." 

She looked at him and asked. "Why are you telling me?"

"It's in your area. Stiles. Customer service. What do we do with him?"

Melissa spoke up. "Make a small section with the things that he has made. There are a number of Humans that don't go to the Herb Store. In fact, I think that there are a good number of Humans that have no idea that it is there or that they can go inside. It has always been discouraged. Stiles is the only one that is fine with them coming in and shopping. Every time someone from the Coven sticks their nose in things, which is all too often to my way of thinking, they have chased off business. Try something. Make the bath and body products that Stiles has developed available in a small section of the store. Take out something like the children's books and put it in that section. Give it a couple of months and see what happens."

Brigid's face lit up. "That is a wonderful idea. But move things around slightly where he can cover the book ordering section and the second register as well as the Herbal section. Sam can help him keep an eye on things from his new vantage point. It would make things more flexible as well if someone has something come up there will be another person to cover for them. I think that is a great idea! And on that note I think we need to go and find them and talk this over with Stiles and start getting his ideas and what he wants to do. He has had enough people making decisions for him lately." 

They looked at each other. "Good point. Very good point. 

Chris got up. "I guess I'll go see if he thinks that we can spend time together without actually going for each other's throat." 

"Sam and I will go find somewhere else to be. No sense crowding him right now." 

Chris nodded. "Brigid and I will go and talk to him."

Brigid just looked at him. "Why am I suddenly the go to person for all this?"

"New idea. New perspective. New person to blame when it doesn't work." 

"Actually that's much more believable." She muttered as she followed Chris.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 29

Brigid noticed the door to Stiles' new home was open. "Hello?" She stopped at the doorway. There were totes scattered around the room. She looked at the number and wondered how cramped Stiles had been and for how long. 

Alex came bouncing over. "Momma. We brought up some of Stiles' stuff. He didn't have room and now he gots lots of room." 

"Alex. Finish your honey tea." 

"Okay Stiles." Alex bounced back over to the low table and sat on the pillow of the floor and carefully picked up his mug.

Brigid went over to Stiles where he was putting things away in the kitchen. 

He looked at her and spoke when she got closer. "The tea will help his throat. It sounds worse than it is." 

Brigid moved in fairly close. "I'm sorry."

Stiles looked at her in surprise. "For what?"

"I'm sorry you had such a shitty day when all you were trying to do was take care of people that you care about."

"I will probably be more sad later but right now I'm mainly just pissed."

"Oh." She moved away from him slightly.

"That doesn't mean that I'm going to take it out on you or Alex. I'm not a total asshole." He smiled at her and bent down to 'whisper' like Alex did "What did they do, dump in your lap to tell me?"

"Would you like to work at the Bookstore? Melissa came up with a great idea. Chris agreed. We just have the sort of basics. The children's books don't really sell. Chris was going to do something with them and clear out that section. Then we had the idea to move the books that are over near the special order desk. We could put your stuff there. Melissa had some of the bath and body things that she said you made. They were wonderful. Those would definitely be one item." Brigid looked up at him to see him smiling with faint amusement. 

"Okay. I get that this is something pretty great. I think that I might be missing some of the pieces. Keep going and see if I can't catch up. Why don't we go over near Alex so he can hear too?"

Brigid went over to the couch and sat behind her son. Stiles just sat on the floor on the other side of the table. Allison and Scott sat near Stiles. Chris sat on the couch. 

"Okay. I'll try to be clearer this time." Brigid gathered her thoughts. She decided to go for honesty. "I don't know everything that has gone on but from what Melissa was saying the Coven has not treated you well. Now they have managed to drive you out of the store that you basically run. You need a job. Melissa was the one with the great idea of you working in the Bookstore. But she had the idea of changing some things. I loved the bath and body stuff that I tried when we had our girl time. I had no idea that ... I had no idea. I never went into the Herb Store. Alex and I have come to the Courtyard a good deal. We have been in most of the stores. I think that it was early on when we visited. I just didn't feel comfortable there. We might have gone back one other time but...I know that you weren't the one in the store. I would have remembered you. 

My point is that if I didn't know that you were there and what you had to offer as often as often as we have visited then there is going to be many more Humans that have no idea about the amazing stuff that you have. So, Melissa threw out the idea of .... kind of being snotty back to the Coven. Chris agreed. We can make a section for Herbals. We were just throwing ideas out and need your input but this is something to consider. 

She took some small pieces of paper and began to lay out the store. "Here is the children's section. The special order desk. The mystery books. Security Sam's spot." She stopped when Scott and Stiles started laughing. 

"Oh Mother Night! We have got to make him a sign. Security Sam's Spot." They were snickering madly. 

"Back on task. Front counter. I'm going to write Impulse buys and I'll explain that later. That should be about all we need to consider. So let's look at this and think about moving things around." She got down on the floor to study the 'layout' of the store. Chris sat on the floor as well. 

"Take out the children's section. What to do with the merchandise is up to Chris but once it is empty fill the hole that will be left with the Herbal items you make." She handed the children's books card to Chris who took it with a shrug. 

She wrote Herbals on a card and placed it in the empty section. "Then we realized that it would work better to move the mystery books over to where the children's books now Herbal section was." She changed the cards around. 

"That would free up that wall beside the special order counter. This is where I started thinking long term. I am truly expecting the Herbal section to be one of the better selling areas once people know it is there. That is part of the reason that my vote is to put it beside the Special Order counter. Here is why.

That would work better because then you would be able to check out the special orders, be cashier when we start getting a number of people wanting to checkout. Plus you are right there to answer the questions. I know there are going to be lots of questions from the Humans. I doubt that I could answer.... probably not very many questions at all. I don't know anything about any of the products. I can learn but right now...I'm pretty much as blank about what they are and what they do as the people asking the questions." 

Allison looked thoughtful. "I know the products. I've used most of them. Some of the beauty things I doubt it matters if you are Human or Other. Moisturizing cream adds moisture. It is best put on after a bath to lock in the moisture that is already there. I can help there. 

We need to do the eye catching thing that Brigid was telling me about. We want them to buy books still but we want them to know that we now have other things to sell. The Herb Store was all gloomy and dark. I think it was supposed to be mysterious. I didn't like to go in there. It needs to be more attractive. More welcoming. Not the store. The Herb Store. They can do whatever. Our part. We need brighter colors. Oh! Human colors and Other colors? Color coding. Make sure that we mention if a Human is buying Other or Other is buying Human. Mainly Human is buying Other." She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote color coded for Human and Others. Brighter colors!!!

Stiles looked at her thoughtfully. "That's .... not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all. I stopped even trying a long time ago. I got sick of being told but that's not the way that the Coven does things. I really like the idea of color coding." 

Brigid looked thoughtful. "I know that this was a surprise and it will take some time to really build up your stock again. What do you have on hand so we can get an idea of how much space we are going to clear out to start with? Starting with just a few shelves would be fine. We can expand it later. We can just work on changing things out today put in a few things and then start mentioning to everyone that the Bookstore will be putting in a Herbal section. We could say it was exclusive? The Bookstore was the only place that they could buy it? Would that be true?"

Stiles was nodding. "Yes. They may still have a very few of the products that I made but the baby Black Widow isn't going to want to deal with Humans. So yes it would be right to say that the Bookstore was the only source of that particular line of products right now. I am the only one that knows how to make the Human version." He studied the 'layout' thoughtfully. "What do you want to start with? There is going to be one point that will probably confuse the Humans. The containers. Some of the items the price is marked with them bringing their own accepted container. If they don't have one or didn't bring it with them then they would buy the jars and that would be extra. They can also buy a jar and then return their clean, undamaged jar for credit. It has to be in excellent condition. The reason is that a good number of the bottles and jars are colored glass to keep light from affecting the contents. A good number of the other jars are more specialized. It is a system that I have worked out with most of my customers to keep costs down. There are a couple of enterprising young girls that go around and collect the empties and bring them to me clean and almost ready to use. I sterilize them before I will put anything in them. But I have them trained. The Other Body Walker's daughter is one of them and that is how we met and how I know that she is interested in training and on that thought give me a card." He wrote Morgana on a card and handed it to Chris. 

Chris took it and looked at it. "Why do I get this?"

"Your store. This is long term like Brigid mentioned. Teyla doesn't have the time or energy to take on a brand new student. The baby Black Widow has already pretty much said she wasn't willing to share. Besides what Morgana really wants isn't training as a Black Widow but further training as a herbalist. That is a large part of my training as a Black Widow. They would absolutely shit if I took on a student Black Widow but.... if YOU took her on later to learn about training to help in that section then the Coven could just ... " He stopped and looked at Alex who was listening attentively. "They could just mind their own business." 

"This is longer ranged planning than I was thinking but it's certainly worth considering. Would she train with you?"

"I am the one that she has been working with all along. She knows Teyla and figures that officially Teyla would be her mentor but in reality she had already mentioned she knew she would be working mostly with me. She has tried several times to approach Teyla with what is going on she has pretty much been blown off. Her mother thought that it might work better if she made it more official in asking for training as one professional to another.

She might still talk to Teyla but I doubt it. I really don’t think that it would be a good idea to put Morgana and What’s-her-name together. If she really sets Morgana off then she would deliver the baby Black Widow back to the Coven. In a box. In pieces. She and I get along just fine though. 

And the Coven and Teyla would stroke-out if they knew but she already has some training. She collects the bottles and jars and brings them to me for credit on products. She has asked if she could watch me make some of the more common and less difficult creams and lotions. This was several months ago. She watched a couple times. She came back still interested and asking questions so I started having her tell me the next step or what I had just done and why. She can already do most of the drudge work. We barter work for products."

Chris looked surprised. "I haven't heard about that." He looked at Stiles who looked slightly defensive. "Good. That means that she understands being about to keep her mouth shut about certain things. That makes me much more inclined to consider her." 

"Her mother would skin her for something stupid like that, heal her and then skin her again." 

Brigid shuddered. 

"Metaphorically of course."

"Back on task again. How much can you put your hands on to be taken downstairs to sell? That would be first. What do we have to work with? How will that sell? Is there going to be enough of a demand to think about hiring Morgana part time and then maybe full time? Brigid was looking between Stiles and Chris. 

"Except for the specialty items all this year, since I pretty much did all of the work and harvested most of the supplies, every time I made something for the Herb Store I made two for me. Having enough to fill some shelves isn't a problem. I can pretty much resupply the store if I had to. Because it was coming down to that is what they were doing to me. They would show up and almost wipe me out. It was supposedly fair because they provided the ingredients. That didn't take into account the time and labor it took me to make the supplies. It was one reason that Morgana got a very intense course in making the basics."

"Oh. Well. Huh. I wasn't expecting that. Okay. New plan. We are going to do this in phases. Start with what you have the most demand for. We will start with one shelving unit. See how it goes? This just got past my long range planning ability." Brigid looked at Chris rather helplessly. 

Chris looked at Stiles for a moment. "I am thinking that one long range goal that I might suggest would be to put the Herb Shop out of business." 

While the others were looking at Chris in shock, Stiles was nodding. "I can get behind that long range goal. I have some ideas." 

"Start talking."

"There is a workshop under the Bookstore and Cafe. It is what I have warded because I have claimed it for my own for years. Teyla didn't like to share her space. I have enough of the most common products that need to be moved. They are taking up valuable space. I admit I was sitting on them willing to almost give them away to people that I chose rather than the Coven. For the first month we offer the most popular items at a reduced rate letting the customers know that they will go back up at the end of a certain period."

"Oh! Encourage them to stock up. That would work for impulse if you could put some of the creams, lotions and other body stuff in smaller packaging and offer it for less. Put it near the main check out and tell them about the trial size samples at a reduced price. Buy it, try it and if you like it come back and stock up while our introductory sale lasts. I'm sorry. I got carried away. Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." 

Scott gently punched Brigid in the shoulder. "Don't be a goof. That was a good idea. Write it down." 

Stiles grabbed a card...trial samples. "Oh. Damn. Perfect." He semi-lunged over the table grabbed Brigid by the shoulders and gave her a theatrical kiss with Mwah sound effect. "Those fu..er..freaking tiny jars I got stuck with. The Bitch Coven ordered wrong. Twice no less and then dumped them on me and took my good bottles. I have had them for over a year and couldn't come up with a damn thing to do with them. They are perfect..perfect for Buy it Try it. You are a freaking genius." 

"Oh thank Mother Night. I was so tired of moving those heavy ass bottles around. Several .. totes worth of the ...things." Scott hastily amended what he had been about to say. 

Alex just gave him puppy eyes and worked on the meat pastry that Melissa had put in front of him. "I have a list of no-no words. I hear them but I can't say them till my head is over the two part door." 

Brigid looked at him. "What?"

She looked at Melissa who looked equally as puzzled and shrugged. They looked at Scott then Stiles who were both shaking their heads. Allison pointed to her father. 

Alex nodded. He looked at Chris with a big-eyed expression. "He dropped a book. On his foot. He said no-no words for a loooong time and didn't even stop to breathe. It was testicular." 

Brigid's face kind of froze. 

"Uh-oh." Scott looked at Alex. "What does that mean Cubling?"

"The ultimate in maleness." 

"Who taught you that?"

"Dean." 

Brigid looked at her young son. "Did Dean say that this was a word that could be used in polite company?"

Alex looked confused. He looked at Scott for help. "Polite company? Who are they?" 

Brigid slowly closed her eyes. 

"BACK on task. You can 'handle' Dean later. I won't even warn the guy. What of this do we want to do in what time frame? Do we want to look and get some ideas and do a little today to see what sells tomorrow? Continue on as we can work it in during our regular day? Do we want to try to do some of it while the store is closed? How do we want to attack this?" Stiles was looking at Chris since it was his store for the answers. 

It was Allison that answered. "I'm ready to look and start moving at least a shelf worth today. To get it set up to sell tomorrow. Have something to offer tomorrow and start letting them know we will be adding more!" Allison looked at Stiles and Scott. "Isn't that what you two think we should do? I'll help. We can go look and then get started." 

Scott and Stiles looked at each other in dismay. It was all of the sudden promising to be a very long day. 

 

Chapter 30

"Okay. I have brought some of the things up. I like the idea of color coding. I pretty much did it already. The pinkish totes are for humans. The green are for the others. I really like the buy it try it sizes. Those are going to take some work though. What is ready to go? Give me a few minutes to arrange some totes." Stiles looked over at what he had spread around. 

"I have creams that are heavier. Various lotions that are lighter. Body gels and shampoos and conditioners. Body oils that can also be used for massage. I have a couple of scrubs and masques but not as big a variety of those. I have bags and bags of various bath soaks for various needs. Oh, I have my own shopping bags. It doesn't work that well to put the bottles and jars in with your regular shopping where they could get damaged. I made a blueish-green flat bag to put them in. Of course, guess who had a fit. I had stacks of them made because I thought we were going to use them and then ... well it didn't happen. That could be another way to advertise. Here are some of the bags." Stiles pulled them out of a tote and gave a bag to everyone. They were drawstring bags which was different. But it made sense if a number of the purchases were small items that could get lost easily. 

Allison got up and started peering into the totes. "You have already done most of the color coding. We could have a pink section and a green section. I am wondering if we need to separate them or just make sure that anything that we put out is something that can be used by both. That would be best. If they want something special it would have to be special ordered."

"The main difference is scent. The pink are stronger so the humans can smell them but not so strong that it would really bother the Other. It is mainly scent preference that I have noticed over the years. Pink is more flower based and green is more plant." Stiles told her.

"Oh I can work with that. I know where I can get some fabric that has that theme. I've got some ideas about what to do with it to catch people's attention. Let me go and get the material and then we can get started moving things around." Allison was up and headed out the door. 

Scott looked at Stiles. "I think that our day off just went out the door with her."

Stiles looked back. "I think you're right." 

"I guess we need to start carrying this stuff downstairs and get that done." Scott started putting the lids back on. 

The rest of them started helping. It didn't take them that long to get it down into the Bookstore. 

Chris brought some boxes from the back. The Children’s section was a small section so it didn’t take long to pack up the books and clean the metal shelves. The Mystery section wasn’t all that much bigger. 

They had just finished moving the last of the books to leave two shelf units free against the wall when Allison came in from the back. She brought Morgana and her mother, Lylith who was the Other Bodywalker. They were all carrying bags and bundles of stuff.  
All the males moved back lest they be contaminated or asked for an opinion that was going to be wrong. 

Allison looked at her father with a bit of defiance. "I saw Morgana and Lylith at the store. I told them some of what is going on with the Coven. They want to help." 

Chris just looked at them and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine by me. The first thirty days are going to be a learning experience. I have no idea how this will work out but I am hoping to make the Coven really regret cutting Stiles loose." He took the smiles as his cue to get out of the females’ way. 

He moved over to stand near Scott, Stiles and Alex. "It's out of our hands now. All we do is what we are told when we are told to do it. That way the blood that is shed, probably, won’t be ours."

The gleaming whiteness of the teeth grew as Allison filled the other women in on the current drama. 

Stiles and oddly enough Allison would work on presentation of the Herbal section.

Stiles put the bluish-green flat bags out. He mentioned that the Coven had some weird-ass little bags that didn’t work for much of anything. Most of the people that shopped at the Herb Store on a regular basis had something that they brought with them. He had them trained that it didn’t work well to put their Herbal purchases in where it would likely get broken or damaged. 

Other than that, he just stood back and let the females plan and arrange. He felt safer that way. 

 

Chapter 31

Brigid had encouraged Stiles to wear his Black Widow pendant out. She had him dress in black jeans and a dark burgundy shirt. He and Allison and Morgana had stayed late working on the set up for the Herbal section. It looked amazing. The girls had used hooks and draped some of the fabric artfully across the tops of the shelving unit and then taken artificial flowers and put them where the hung down the sides of the pink Human section. The green Other section had some sort of ivy. 

Scott and Alex were set up in the small room behind the counter. Allison and Stiles had worked out labels that would go on the front and top of the 'jars that no one wanted'. They printed off the labels and Morgana had put them on the jars. Stiles had picked out six of his most popular creams and they had filled a dozen jars of each kind. Stiles had one odd shaped jar of each kind near his register so people could open, smell and test the cream. They were in charge of refilling the trial jars that Stiles sold. They had a long work table that had been manhandled into the room set up in sections with the master jar, labels, spatulas for filling the jars and the jars themselves. They were ready. 

The first thing Brigid had noticed when she had walked in was the smell. It was wonderful. She was used to the Cafe with its scents of food and drink. This was more...like a fragrance. She made a mental note to ask Stiles if he had potpourri in some of the fragrances. 

The first to drift through were some of the Others. They came in and nodded at her greeting. They went over to Stiles and spoke too quietly for her to be able to hear. They looked at what was on offer in the Herbal section and bought. 

Stiles was willing to offer 20% off everything on the shelves and the trials. They had come up with a code for the registers that designated the Herbal section. Chris had told Stiles that it was his to manage. He had been able, as far as Chris knew, to keep the Herb Store in the black despite everything that the Coven had thrown at him. The odd jars were clear. Stiles would not be ordering them again. They didn't work as well for what he wanted. He was willing to only charge for the cream and the clear jars were free. They had to be brought back cleaned to be refilled. He was not holding on to them or giving credit. Those would be the ONLY jars/product that he would just refill. He had a small handout that went with the trial jars. 

The Others that came in seemed to know exactly what they wanted from the shelves. That went quickly. Till they got to the register and discovered the trial jars. The jars that were actually for sale were on the counter behind Stiles to keep anyone from testing them. Then they read the note that over a certain purchase price the Herbal Bags were free. 

Brigid thought that it was going to be a moderately busy Moonsday. She thought that Scott and Alex wouldn't have much to do and they could play or read. She thought. 

The first visitors decided to buy one of each of the trial creams that were offered. Lavender, Peppermint, Lemon, PainEase, Joyous, Purify and Serenity. They were short on the amount that it would take to get the free bag. The first girl went back to get the Lavender lotion to go with the Lavender cream she was buying. It put the total over the minimum price and everyone was happy. Her friend went back and got a lotion as well. They left. 

Stiles looked at her and let out a relieved sigh. "They are willing to come here to buy what they want and need. While they have no problem with Teyla, they do not like the Coven. It's bad when even the females won't take up for other females. Anyway, they are going to pass the word to their friends. This just might work after all. Mother Night. I'm relieved." 

Alex walked over. "Do you want us to do the make more now or wait till later?"

"Let's wait till about half of them are sold and then you can do more. It will let me know which ones are going to sell best."

Alex hugged Stiles' thigh. "You're doing good." 

Brigid blinked. Until something like that happened she didn't really notice how much bigger and taller that Stiles was than Alex. He was so good at playing the fool that it was easy to dismiss him. She watched Alex bounce back to his other playmate and tell him the news. As if Scott couldn't have heard. The best thing to her was that Scott played along seriously. "Good. We are ready. I brought down more jars this morning so when we run out of what we have we can set it all up again. Do you think that we should make marks for the ones that we fill to help Stiles keep count? We can do 'pebbles in the jar' or we can do 'count by'. Which one do you like better?" 

"I like pebbles in the jar. You can see it grow. I'm not good at count by yet." 

"Let’s go get the jars and the box of pebbles. It is quiet now but it will get busy so we need to hurry. You need to pee while we are at your place?"

Alex looked affronted. "I can tell you when I need to pee. I can go by myself you know. It is just right over there."

"Sorry Cubling. I was just thinking of how busy it gets. But we can just go because we are back here. We don't have to do the 'pee-pee dance' like your Mom." 

That comment got a smile out of Alex and a glare out of Brigid. "Pee-pee dance?"

Scott looked at her. "It was what you called it. I didn't make it up." 

"I do a pee-pee dance?"

"Yes?" He looked at Alex for help. Alex just wrapped his arms around Scott's thigh with a shrug. It was every male for himself. 

"Go!" Allison had come over. Scott picked up Alex and they retreated. Quickly. Allison turned to Brigid. "You need to pee bad you just tell the customers to wait. Not peeing on the floor is good customer service." Her sage advice delivered she walked away. That was fine. It wasn't like Brigid could think of anything to say to that announcement anyway. 

She caught sight of Stiles slowly sinking down behind the counter. He was laughing. At least it was silently. She was getting the feeling that today just might be a 'chocolate bite break' day. 

Scott and Alex arrived back at the store about the same time as the first flurry of customers. 

Brigid watched the group of girls led in by the Lavender girl. Evidently it was her favorite. She had purplish hair bows and had been the one that bought the Lavender cream and lotion. She was not looking happy. She led them over to Stiles. "I need one each of the trial jars. Mine seem to be empty now for some reason." 

Stiles just turned around and picked up one of each. "Did you bring your bag back?" 

That might not have been the best question to ask. The girl looked in the bag that she was carrying and pulled out the jar of cream and the bottle of lotion. She dug around for a couple of seconds. Brigid noticed a hand from the back of the group handing the bag toward the front. Another hand took it and put it on the counter. 

"Here it is. It must have dropped out of your bag." Stiles totaled up her purchase and put it in the bag. There was a huddle to come up with the money that was placed silently on the counter. They evidently had come up with the exact amount. Stiles handed Lavender girl the bag and then looked at the group. The group looked at Lavender who was now smiling. "Who has the list and my empty jars?" 

Paper and jars were dutifully handed over. Brigid thought that this was truly an Alpha in action. 

Stiles just stood there and watched with an expression of faint amusement. "Can I have the list or would you rather find the things yourselves?" 

"We can do it. We have a plan." Lavender announced. She took her list and girl group over to the green section. Bottles and jars were handed out. Pointing was done. Head shaking. Pointing. Nodding. Lavender took them back to the Stiles and supervised. They lined up neatly and presented their items and then pointed to the jars. Stiles added up the purchases took off the 20% and put it all in a bag with the handout about the jars. The first girl was Pinkie. She liked pink. She had exact change in her coat pocket. She handed it to Stiles and happily went to stand by Lavender. 

The rest of the group followed Pinkie's lead. 

By this time the Humans had begun to arrive. There was nothing said but they waited till the girl group had finished their business. The girls looked at the Humans and the Humans looked at the Others. Lavender sighed. "Stiles has jars to try. The ones by him are for smelling and putting a FINGERTIP in and rubbing on skin. You can smell them all. Do NOT put all the creams on you at the same time. You will STINK. Pick one. One fingertip try. Wait till you make it warm. Lavender is good for always. Peppermint is for tingly awake. Lemon is for sunshine. PainEase is for aches. Purify is... ask Stiles about Purify and Serenity. You can get one cream and one lotion and all of the trial jars. You get a bag. Do you understand?" 

Most of the Humans had a kind of startled look. 

"Well?"

Someone poked someone else and they startled forward. It was a blonde girl in her middle 20s. "Uh. Yes. Thank you." 

"Jars. You need to tell them about the jars." It was soft and somewhere from the middle of the girl group.

"Oh. See these jars? Stiles doesn't like these jars. He won't take them back for credit. You have to keep up with the trial jars. They must be Stiles clean when you bring them back or he will make you wash them till he is satisfied you know what clean is. These jars are free. You can bring these jars ONLY back and he will put more cream in them. Bring back the jar with the label that you want. Lavender goes back in lavender. He is picky that way.

She pointed to the bottles and jars on the shelves. "Those jars he will take back for credit if you have taken good care of them. They cannot be cracked. They cannot be chipped. They must be Stiles clean. Stiles clean means that the lid is washed also. Soap and water. No bleach. It will make him very cranky. He will lecture. And lecture. And lecture. You do not want a Stiles lecture. It will make your head hurt." She looked the Humans over. "I am done. Go and test the jars. With your FINGERTIP." She and the girl group went out the door. 

The Humans hesitantly approached the counter. Stiles smiled at them. "This is lavender. I think you know what to do." He handed the first person a jar. And so it began. 

About the time that the first little group of Humans finished testing and buying there was a small group of Others that were waiting and watching. 

Brigid turned to Scott and Alex who were watching the show. "Boys. I think that you might want to start filling those jars now." They both startled and then hastily went back into their 'workroom' and started filling the jars. Each section had a small basket in which they put the finished jars. 

Stiles was beginning to get a number of questions from the humans. They were coming faster than he could answer and check people out. Someone in the Other group had an answer for Purify and Serenity. "Serenity is for when you want to BITE people." "Purify is for when you are the one that got bitten." 

From the look on Allison's face that may be put on a note card and displayed with those products. She had moved over to the Other group to see what they wanted. 

Brigid could see paper and wondered if this group had run into Lavender. 

Stiles was now surrounded by Human customers. The pink shelf had fortunately ended up closest to the register. There was some distance between the pink shelving unit and the green unit. There was an empty shelving unit that they hadn't gotten around to filling between the two. They hadn’t decided if it would be Human or Other or something special. It worked out that it gave the two groups space and they didn't crowd each other. It wasn't often that there was this much Other traffic while the Humans were in the store. So far so good. She noticed that at some point there was a second wolf on Sam's Security Spot. 

Allison was talking with the Others. They lined up and went over to the Other section. There was some sort of debate going on. Allison motioned them to wait and went over to the counter behind Stiles. She picked up a marker and marked a second set of trial jars and took them over to the group of Others. The jars were sniffed. Fingertips only were used. Creams and lotions were selected and handed to the correct person then Allison pointed to her. 

The group of Others approached. "We are supposed to check out over here. You have some of the trial jars too. We can get them from here. Allison is getting bags." 

It was nice to get instructions. Kind of interesting to get them from the customers. 

Allison arrived back with an armful of bags. She took the stool and set a stack of bags on the seat. She went into the workroom and came back with the seven trial jars in a small plastic bins on a tray. Those were put on the counter. "I'll get a book cart in a minute." 

Allison looked at the Others. "All seven trial sample jars need to be on the counter before Brigid will check you out. You will not get the Buy It Try It until she has the jars. These jars Stiles doesn't like. He will not take them for credit. He will refill them with the same cream if you bring them to him Stiles clean. I will get the paper that says that." She walked off. 

The jars were handed forward and put on the counter. 

Brigid checked them out and put their purchases in one of the special bags. They had their money ready. 

Allison brought over two tiny carts. Scott and Alex were in charge of making sure that Stiles and Brigid stayed supplied with Trial Jars and bags. It got interesting. Somehow it was decided that all seven of the trial creams were considered a kit and needed to be bought that way. The person that bought the kit was to take the empty plastic bin and put on Brigid's counter where Allison had made and taped a sign. Alex and Scott were to refill the bins. 

Stiles was helping the Humans; Allison had the Others who were then sent to Brigid to check out. From time to time everything had to stop as the testing jars had to be found, collected and refilled. That was when Allison made the general announcement of Stiles Rules of Jars. 

There were points of really interesting. A Human woman ended up in the line with the Others because she came in to buy books. There was a gap between her and the Others in front and behind her. Brigid totaled up her purchases and took her money, put her books in the woman's book-bag. "She gets a Stiles bag too. She spent over the amount." The voice was male and from somewhere behind them. 

Brigid and the woman both looked back startled. The woman then looked at Brigid. "Stiles bag?"

"You didn't ask her if she wanted a trial kit. She didn't say but you didn't ask. All of the sample jars are on the counter." Brigid was now thinking that it was getting more and more interesting to get her instructions from the customers. 

"We have just started a Herbal section. Pink is Human; Green is Other. Human blends are stronger because Human's don't have good noses. You smell the jars to see what scents you like. Only use a fingertip if you want to put some on. Only one scent at a time or you will stink. Those are the jars that Stiles doesn't like and won't take back but will refill if they are Stiles clean." She stopped and thought the hell with it..."Did I forget anything?"

"Does she want to buy the trial kit? She needs the reminder paper if she does. Herbal stuff goes in the Stiles bag. He gets cranky if you just stick it in the grocery bag and it gets damaged. Especially when he makes the soaks and they go everywhere. He doesn't have them out now. Always carry your Stiles bag on your wrist or in your jacket pocket. Serenity is for when you want to bite someone. Purity is for when you are the one that gets bitten. Please do not put on the cream AND the lotion and be in a small room with us. Just because it doesn't smell that strong to you does NOT mean that it does not smell strong to us." 

Brigid and the woman looked at each other. The woman cleared her throat. "I would like the trial kit please." 

Brigid added the trial kit and the woman paid and moved to the side and put down her book bag. She took one of the trial jars and opened it and then smelled it. "OH!" She looked surprised. She took a deep breath. Her eyes closed briefly and she smiled. She looked at the jar. "Serenity." She looked thoughtfully at the jar. Put the lid on and turned to look at the Herbal section. "Damn."

The Others looked at her curious. "Why?" came the voice again. 

"Buying the trial kit was the last of my cash that I brought with me."

"The Market Plaza has a money machine."

"Oh. You're right. It does. I had forgotten about that. Thank you. You have been very kind and helpful." She gathered her bags and headed out the door like a woman or a mission or like an Other after prey. 

The voice made a kind of huffing noise. "First time I have ever got that reaction out of a Human." Huffing noises were made back. 

Brigid looked at the girl that had been as involved in the show as she had. "Would you like to buy a trial kit?"

She put her purchases on the counter. "I get a Stiles bag too. I know Stiles Rules of Jars. I don't need reminder paper." She put her money on the counter and looked at Brigid. 

"Right." She looked at her cart and wondered if they had brought enough supplies. She needed to ask Allison about Stiles bags. Her stack was shrinking. It was going to be a memorable day. 

 

Chapter 32

They needed a plan. A better plan. 

Chris had sent them one at a time to eat and take a short break. 

Chris dealt with the customers that were at the store for books. 

Stiles dealt with the Others who had heard that he had moved and wanted Stiles' Stuff and checked out at the Special Order counter.

Allison got the Humans that had gotten sucked into the chaos. 

She sent them to Brigid to check out along with people buying books.

Scott and Alex did their best to make sure that Brigid and Stiles didn't run out of trial kits and Stiles bags. 

Another neatly written sign appeared behind both registers. 

Market Plaza has a money machine.  
If you did not bring enough CASH to buy the Herbals you want  
GO THERE and get cash and then come back here.

There was a very brief period when the store was empty of customers. Brigid had called Chris over. "I need you to take most of the money out of the register till I am back down to a couple of hundred. Write a note and put it in an envelope with front counter register and put it in the safe. I have too much cash in the register." 

Chris looked at her. 

Brigid got out an envelope. "Open the register." 

He did. 

She pulled out all the money under the drawer and in the large bill slot. She counted it out and wrote down the total. She handed it to Chris and he counted it as well. They arrived at the same figure. She took a piece of paper and wrote the amount and her name on the paper and put it under the drawer. She stuck the cash that had been pulled out in the envelope and sealed it. Wrote the date, front register, Brigid on the envelope and handed it to Chris. "Go and put that in the safe. Then do the same for Stiles. That way the till totals will match up when we count down tonight. That was just way too much money to have in the drawer." 

Chris shrugged and then and did as he was told. 

Brigid looked at Stiles. "That long term plan may not take as long as we were thinking to accomplish."

Stiles and Chris did his register and looked at each other. "I think we need to plan again. The one we had.... We need a new plan." 

Brigid spoke up. "How are we doing on supplies? Do we have more Stiles Bags? What are we going to do when we run out of those? Do we need to bring more creams and lotions from where ever you have them? Jars that Stiles doesn't like.... how many more of them do we have and where are they? This has been insane."

Stiles looked around. "Scott, Alex and I will bring more of the trial variety creams and lotions. I know where they are. I'll get out the bags that I have and all the don't like jars. I have no idea what the fuck we are going to do when we run out. As long as it isn't today, we can manage to come up with something after the store closes. And right now that is as good as it gets!"

Brigid nodded. "Works for me." 

They carried and stacked the totes in the small office. 

Chris disappeared and then came back with Morgana to help out. Her main job was to keep everything stocked. Right now it wasn't a problem because usually if there wasn't their first choice of cream or lotion on the shelf they just bought their second choice. 

She got herself organized and got started.

Stiles sat in the comfortable chair behind the counter. He put his head back and closed his eyes. He had never ever been this busy at the Herb Store. This was great but it was kicking his ass. 

"Excuse me." The voice was cultured, soft and gentle. 

It still startled him and he almost launched himself out of the chair. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't mean to bother you. I know you have been busy all day. I did have some questions if you don't mind." 

Stiles blinked and looked at the woman on the other side of the counter. Human. Not old but older. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm not used to being this busy and it's kicking my ass. I probably shouldn't have said that. Oh well. What did you want to know?"

"I was here earlier this morning shopping. As I was checking out at the other counter one of the nice gentlemen in the line mentioned that you have other things besides the Starter kit. It was busy and the line was long so I didn't get the chance to ask him any questions. He kindly directed me to the Market Plaza for the money machine and I happen to run into a few of my friends and showed them the trial kit that I bought. They came with me to purchase their own and to get some of the other things that you have to offer. I heard creams and lotions. Do you have soaps and perhaps shower gels as well?" 

"Somewhere." Stiles shook his head. "That was helpful wasn't it?" He paused. He looked over at the group of women. Then he really looked them over. "What the fuck are you doing in a Courtyard? Market Plaza is fine. Courtyard...not so fine."

Brigid came over. "Uh Stiles?"

He turned slightly toward Brigid. "I was watching her. Dean was over there keeping an eye on things since she was the only Human in the Other line. The 'nice young gentleman' was a Sanguinine and generally something of an arrogant asshole. Damn. Maybe I should call Lydia and introduce them to her and put her in charge of them to keep them out of trouble since she came back and brought friends with her."

"Lydia?"

"Likes Lavender."

"Oh. Her. She certainly is...capable."

"She's an alpha bitch. Literally and figuratively."

"And I am sure that if we were to get to know her she would turn out to be a lovely young woman. If you think that we should meet, I will certainly take that into consideration. However we are here and if you don't mind?"

Stiles looked at the woman... He looked at Brigid... "She's one of those steel butterfly women isn't she?"

"Why thank you dear boy. Shall we look at what you have to offer?" He had come around the counter. She tucked her hand into his arm and gently guided him toward the pink section. 

Brigid left him to his fate and the tender mercies of a group of steel butterflies or as she had heard of them Steel Magnolias. 

She looked over ten minutes later from her restocking to see that Stiles was sitting behind the counter with his feet up while eating something that one of the women had gone and purchased for him. Any attempts to approach the counter to ask questions were met and redirected to the shelving units. The woman had the sample jars in a pretty little basket and she and the gathering group of Others seemed to be discussing the products. In the smoothest move she had ever seen, another sweet little old lady handed out shopping baskets and admired the jars and bottles that the Others were holding. In the basket they went and then back to the wall to look at other bottles and jars. 

Oh. That was good. The little lady must have asked a question because the Other was now pointing and explaining. And. Preening? Well. That was a rather different reaction from the norm she had seen. 

The show went on for a good half hour. Stiles finished eating and joined the discussions. Baskets were filled. And. Group nodding. Why was a group that included a number of Steel Magnolias and Others.... conspiring? 

Stiles threw up his hands and left to go upstairs. He picked up Scott and Alex along the way. They came back down with several totes. Stiles stayed and Scott made several more trips. The totes were opened and the contents were examined. Now the Magnolias had baskets. 

Brigid moved the stool over to the counter and settled in to watch the show. She wasn’t the only one. Out of the corner of her eye, there were several in the Café that had moved their tables to watch as well. There was now a good sized group on that side of the store that was a mingling of Human and Other. Oddly enough they seemed to be cooperating about something. 

Chris came and stood behind her. "What? What ARE they doing?" 

"I have no idea but it is certainly developing a sense of cooperation like nothing I have ever seen before." Scott passed in front of them with another tote. Alex followed carrying a large stack of larger shopping bags with handles that were a variegated blue. That got applause. Actual no shit clapping. Retail had never been this entertaining or interesting before. 

More people looked through the window. Got curious and came in. They wandered over to the group and were quickly absorbed. There were little clusters of conferencing and pointing. The first few people came over to Brigid to be checked out. 

Now she would be enlightened as to what the group consciousness had decided. It was bound to be good. 

"Stiles gave me the prices for the body products that he hasn't had a chance to put out or mark yet." The woman, not one of the original group, handed Brigid a card that had the prices of the bath gel, shampoo, body oil and body spray. "He said that for today all of the oils are going to be considered body oils which are actually less expensive than the massage oils. These are the regular prices. The massage oil price is down at the bottom and he wrote 'after the special is over' so we would know what it would be if we don't buy it today. These are also 20% off. He wrote that going up the side. He said you would know his handwriting." She put her basket on the counter. "I get a big Stiles bag along with my little Stiles bag. He already gave them to me. I will need to get the sample kit from you. Could you please put the sample kit in my little Stiles Bag and the rest in my blue Stiles Bag? I would greatly appreciate it." 

Brigid looked at Chris. He just shook his head, got the sample kit, put it in the little Stiles bag and put it on the counter. He took the blue Stiles bag and began putting the items in it as Brigid checked them out. He made sure that all the tops were closed before he put them in the bag. "Why thank you for doing that. It's so thoughtful of you." 

Brigid didn't dare look at the expression on Chris' face. She just kept checking. 

And they kept coming. And talking. To her and to each other. They were…involved, invested and some other words that she would look up later. Mainly they were freaking hilarious. 

"Yes, she got the Stiles pricing for today. The nice young woman did give it to her. She knows not to charge for the blue Stiles bag because the minimum purchase for it was met. She didn't have a price for the blue Stiles bag anyway." Brigid looked up as someone at the end of the line left and went back to the cluster. Evidently they tattled to Stiles. They got patted and some pointing and Morgana waving went on. Evidently Morgana was in charge of giving out blue Stiles bags after they bought a certain amount. They were behind the counter anyway. 

She directed her attention to the line before her, watching as tattle-tail came back to join the group. "Yes, I have the starter kits. And on that note there was an announcement that needs to be made. Please wait a minute." Brigid called for Allison. "Go over there to Sam's Security Spot and have him howl to get everyone's attention. Give them the Stiles does not like these jars speech. I don't know that I have enough reminders and that I remembered to tell them or put them in the bags at this point." 

Allison trotted over to Sam and pulled his tail. He promptly howled. "Good. Now that you are looking at me I need to give an announcement about the bottles and jars. We have many people that have never been here before. The Herbal section is new to us. Stiles was in the Herb Store but the Coven were utter bitches and he left. He is a Black Widow and is fully trained. He knows much more than how to make creams and lotions. He has also trained as a Herbalist healer. He creates all of the things that you see on the shelves. It is all natural. He doesn't use crap quality ingredients or chemicals. If you want it and he is out then you will just have to damn well wait till he can get around to making more. 

The clear jars that the sample kit are packaged in now...He doesn't like those jars. He will refill them for you if you bring the jar to him. He will teach you how to Stiles clean the jars and bottles. The colored bottles and jars can be cleaned and then turned back into him for credit on future purchases. He WILL take those back and you get a new jar or bottle. The jars and bottles have to be in the same shape as you bought them. No cracks or chips. If you were stupid and poured something caustic in it he can smell it and probably won't take it back. You put someone else's chemical crap in the bottle or jar and he probably won't take it back. Only Stiles' stuff goes in Stiles bottles and jars. Was there any of that anyone didn't understand?" 

She waited and looked around. "Good. You can go back to spending money now. Thank you."

That had to rank up there as one of the most interesting announcements Brigid had ever heard. 

She turned her attention back to the line of customers. "Melissa at the Cafe next door has some wonderful pastries and drinks. You can go over there and get something to eat and drink and relax before you go out into the cold." 

Brigid just hoped that there would be some chocolate bites left for her. She was earning them.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is all that is written of the story at the moment.

Chapter 33

Stiles simply moved to a carpeted spot on the floor and lay down. A quick glance showed that the rest of them weren't in that much better shape. Even Sam and Dean looked tired. They slunk out in Wolf form as soon as the store was officially closed. 

Poor little Alex had simply crashed about five after he had eaten something. He had curled up on one of the mats and had fallen asleep. Scott had covered him up. He had only woken up an hour before the store closed. 

The last time Stiles had looked over that way Alex had been setting out the clear jars to be filled. Lydia was filling the jars. Scott was being directed by Allison and Morgana to go and get totes. It made sense. He was the only one that knew where Stiles kept things and it wasn't like Stiles had been able to leave the Herbal section. Much or for long. He just said 'screw it' when he had to go pee. It wasn't like they wouldn't wait on him or leave before he got back. 

Just being still was helping. He was going to have to get up in a few minutes. They were going to have to do some planning. 

Chris came over and sat on the floor with his back to the counter. "I started the Book Store as something that I was familiar with to be able to interact with Humans. I admit I do not like to fail. I intended the store to be successful. This. Today. Was beyond anything that I ever envisioned. It is more like something that you just try to survive." 

Allison came over and sat by her father. She put her head in his lap and he stroked her hair. "I earned so much shopping money today." 

Lydia and Morgana went over to sit on the floor by Allison. Lydia actually shuddered. "I don't think that I even want to think about shopping for a couple of days."

Brigid pulled a reading bean bag over to the group. She sat and Alex came over to crawl in the bag with her. 

Scott came over to use Stiles as a pillow. "This was the weirdest day of my life. I have helped Mom out at the Cafe from time to time. I have never been touched and petted so much! It was... Strange." 

Stiles just stroked his chest. "Those Steel Magnolias are.... like a force of nature. They look so sweet and harmless. It's a good thing they are basically nice. I have never watched that kind of domination in my life. I didn't know that the Humans had it in them. They somehow took control of the situation and everyone involved just went along with them. It was interesting."

And that brings me to something that I have been thinking about all day as I was trying to keep up with everything going on. What are we going to do tomorrow? How are we going to manage the rest of the week and can I run away and hide?" 

Chris snorted. "Me first." 

Allison sat up. "Dad and Brigid can count the money. The rest of us can decide what we want to do. Stiles being behind the Special Order counter and checking out worked well. Morgana behind that counter to keep him supplied with the things that he needed worked. Lydia had Brigid and the Sample kits. It started out that I had the Humans and Stiles had the Others. The Magnolias changed that today. They won't be here tomorrow." She paused. "I can't decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing." 

Morgana spoke up. "We need to know how many sample jars we have left. How many bags and of what kind. Inventory. We need to do an inventory." She looked over at Scott. 

Scott groaned and sat up. "I just brought down everything that Stiles had in his room. I didn't get into the workshop downstairs. All the empty totes are over there in the corner."   
Stiles sat up as well. "What is left up in the apartment?"

"Nothing. I seriously just brought down every tote that was up there. I know the Herbal totes from your stuff. If it was Herbal and in the new place it is down here. You are going to have to look and see what you have left of that. I wouldn't think much. I lost track somewhere along the way but I doubt that you have much left IN the totes." 

Stiles' jaw dropped. "Fuck me." Scott poked him. "Sorry." He looked around at the group. "That would have been enough for a week if not the month at the Herb Store. I knew we needed a new plan but.... Mother freaking Night." 

Morgana got to her feet with a groan. "I'll go find all of the bags that we have left and get a count. Do you have any more bags stored downstairs? Where did you get them? How long will it take to get more? Allison mentioned something about she scored on the material that we used for the draping that everyone likes. She had thought that making a few drawstring bags out of that material would work. Do we need to push the idea up higher on the list?" 

Lydia got to her feet. "I'll get a count on the Sample jars. Are there any more totes of them elsewhere or is what is in the room all we have?" 

Allison got up. "I'll finish putting everything that is in the totes out. We can see what holes we have to fill."

Stiles looked at Scott. "I guess we go downstairs and start carrying totes up. I'll get all of the bags and empty sample jars that I have. Once those are gone, I am out. If someone could get an idea which of the Basic Seven are selling the best I will bring up what I have after I have the bags and jars up. Let's get this started so we can get this done before too late."

Chris spoke up. "Store hours. No I do not want to extend them. I was thinking that we could change the time that the store opens from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. But this week spend from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. restocking. Do it in the morning instead of at night? Even if we decide that we don't want to do that still come in at 10:00 a.m. so the day will not be so long."

Melissa had been sitting over at the side. "I think that if someone is over here people will be wanting to come in and shop. It might work well for my store that they would have to wait for your side to open. They can spend money with me." 

"Put a note on the door that the Bookstore will have new hours. We open at 10:00 a.m." 

Allison nodded at her father. "I'll do that now." 

Everyone headed off to do their tasks. 

~~~~~~~~

Stiles was tired and sweaty by the time that he and Scott got the totes upstairs. There had to be a better way. He was so damn tired.

He let the girls sort things out. 

Chris touched his shoulder. "Office. We need a plan."

He followed the older man into the main office where the safe was. Chris put a sheet of paper in front of him. "This breaks it down by category. This is the Herbal section's sales for today." 

Stiles felt his jaw drop. 

"No shit." Chris let him look at the numbers for a moment. "Do you want to renegotiate the agreement we discussed?" 

"No. It was fair. We agreed on that. It takes into account that I will need supplies and eventually help."

"The time for help is here. There was no way to manage without Morgana then Lydia today. I know we need to see how the week goes and then the month to have a real idea of how much business the Herbal section is going to do. Part of me is hoping that it keeps being as successful. The other part wants it to calm down to a more manageable level. Did she really manage to alienate that many people that they wouldn't come into the Herb Store unless you were there? How much business did she drive away before you started being there full time?"

"I have no idea but I have the feeling that we will find out. This is just the regular creams and things. This doesn't even take into account the specialty work." 

"Oh I know." Chris looked at the numbers. "Here is your part. I will pay every one today." 

Stiles watched as he wrote names on envelopes. Brigid, Allison, Scott, Alex, Morgana and Lydia. "Alex?" 

"He worked his ass off today running back and forth keeping all the bins filled and the bags stocked. He made sure that there were jars for all the Seven Scents ready to be filled. He's only six and he is a Human. Yes, I will suggest that he have Brigid keep it for him but it is his money. He earned it." 

Stiles held his hands up. "I agree. I so very much agree. It just kind of surprised me that you would think that way."

"I'm not a total asshole you know." 

"Keep telling me. Maybe one day I will even believe it." 

Chris smacked him and almost knocked him off the stool. He counted out the money and put it in the envelopes and taped them closed. "I am going to tell Morgana and Lydia to come back tomorrow. That is if they want to."

"Works for me. I guess we need to get back out there and get things set up for another day."

"Sooner we can do that the sooner we can take a shower and go to bed." 

"Oh I can definitely get behind that."

Chris put the rest of the money in the safe. He looked at Stiles. "I can get a Stiles bag and put your part in there if you want." 

Stiles nodded. "I think that would be a good idea. I'm going to keep a little out but yeah. Thanks. Maybe even sometime this week I will get the chance to spend some of it."

Chris grabbed a bag that had found its way into the Office and put Stiles’ money in it and put it in the safe and locked it up.

They left to see what else needed to be done before they could slink out the door and go home.

 

 

Chapter 34

Brigid and Alex joined Melissa, Scott and Stiles on the interior stairs. Melissa was still opening the Cafe at 9:00 a.m. They were going to go and see what they had been too tired to care about the night before. Brigid had been shocked at the cash in the envelope Chris had handed her. Alex looked confused when he got his own envelope. 

He didn't have that much of an understanding of money but he could tell it was 'alot'. He had agreed with Chris that it would be best if his Momma held onto it for him. He could get her to get some of his money later when they went shopping on Earthday.

Brigid walked in and the rest trailed behind her. She started straightening up her counter more. Putting out bags and loading up the cart with the sample bins. 

Scott, Stiles and Alex straightened the Herbal section. They had just stuck the bottles and jars in the section that they would belong in. Now they were going along and making it look nice. Alex had the low part. 

Brigid looked over at her price list. "Stiles? Did you separate out the body oils and Massage oils? We are going to charge regular price today?"

Stiles' body just drooped. "No. I am going to have to do something different on the labeling. You would have to know which is which because this batch doesn't say on the label. That's fine. Just tell the customers that the special is continuing… lucky them." 

"Okay." 

Tap. Tap. Tap. They looked at the front door. There were a couple of customers that were standing outside waving. 

"I got it." Stiles went over and unlocked and stepped outside. He held the door shut behind him. He talked to them for a short while and then directed them to next door. "Damn it's cold out there." 

There were a few other Humans that showed up before 10:00 a.m. Before Stiles could get to the door, someone would stick their head out the door of the Cafe and tell them to come inside to wait. They had special spiced cider today. It was great. 

The gate between the Cafe and Bookstore was closed. People would wander over from time to time to peek into the store. 

Chris came in about 9:30 a.m. with Allison. He got out the drawers and handed them to Brigid and Stiles. Once they had their registers ready, there was a voice from the Cafe side. "Can we come in now? The young man said that we had to wait till they had the registers open so we could buy stuff." 

Chris looked over at Scott and Stiles. Stiles shrugged. "It's not like I have a lot of experience in situations like this."

Chris just looked at Brigid "Is there anything left that we need to do?"

"No. We are pretty much ready. Everything has been straightened and stocked."

"I'll open the doors then." He went over to the gate and opened it. He then unlocked the front door. 

A short while later, a Human opened the door for a sheepish looking Wolf. Sam took his spot at his Security Station. Chris nailed him with a look. "Before you leave you need to change into skin and clothes and come to the office." 

The large black Security Wolf hung his head and curled up with his tail over his nose and watched the store. 

The morning was fairly quiet. It was steady but not the volume of traffic that yesterday morning had brought. 

Brigid and the rest were grateful because that meant they got a quiet lunch and a break. 

The quiet let Allison and Morgana work on filling all of the sample jars and getting them ready to go. 

Lydia had a table and was cutting the material that Allison had found getting it ready to make drawstring bags. When Allison had said she had scored on some material, Brigid had thought she mean several yards. There were several large bolts of material under the table. Along with some spools of cord in pink, green and blue. 

She had the pink material on the end of the table and was measuring it out and cutting it. That was when Brigid realized that the table she was working at hadn't been there the night before. When did that happen? Had she been that tired that she missed someone carrying a table that size in? Two some ones? It was an out of the way corner so it was no problem. She was getting some attention as well. 

Alex was in charge of measuring the heavy cord that would be used in the bags and cutting it. He then dipped the ends carefully in melted wax and squished them so they would be easy to thread through the bags. He counted them out in groups of twenty-five. Once he had twenty-five he tied them in a loose knot and put them over by...a sewing machine? He then went back to his next group of twenty-five cords. 

Lydia would take a break from cutting and sew up a few bags so Alex could thread the cord through and tie the ends. He started out putting pink cords through pink bags. 

A couple of women went over and talked to Lydia. She got out the green cord for Alex and had him cut twenty-five green cords then twenty-five blue cords. She switched out the pink bolt of material for the green and started cutting. Stiles, Morgana and Allison got pulled into the discussion. 

Stiles face and body language loudly said "Leave me out of it. Whatever you want is fine with me." He went back over to the counter. That left a group of women hammering out an agreement. 

Brigid decided that they would tell her what she was supposed to do when they reached an agreement. Evidently the same color cord as the bag was boring. Poor Alex was looking confused. He was given a set of pink bags and cords to use. He happily went over in a corner away from the women and started threading the cords. 

Lydia was amazingly quick at sewing. That was very much unexpected. She made a group of green bags and of blue bags. One of the women took blue and green cords over to Alex to put through the same colored bags. 

That left them discussing something. Allison and Morgana disappeared. They came back carrying bolts and spools of a buttery yellow material. And that was a big hit. A number of the women that had been looking at the Herbal section now drifted over and joined in. It seemed to be that alternating the colors was the decision. Consensus reached. 

Scott went to Alex's rescue. He was looking a little overwhelmed. That was good. Brigid had just about been ready to go and get him and stick him behind the counter with her. Scott and Alex worked on threading the cords through the bags they already had.

Chris came over to the counter. "Is this typical behavior?"

"If you have a small craft store then it is pretty typical for people to help each other out and interact. They tend to build a sense of community. I've never seen anything like it outside of those kinds of stores though." 

"Allison bartered the children's books for material. She told me what she did. That was fine. I have no idea what she drug back. Didn't want to know. Didn't want to be involved. Still don't. I think I am going to go and find something I want to do before someone finds something for me to do. I have orders to place. Yes. I think that would be a very good thing for me to do right now. I will be in my office."

"Hiding?"

Chris just snorted and left. 

Brigid continued to sit on the stool and watch the show. She wasn't alone. Most of the store was either watching or involved. It was now a group project. A woman had put down her basket and had taken over the cutting of the material. From the speed and precision of the cuts she evidently had a good deal of experience. Another woman was cutting the cords and dipping the ends in wax and grouping them. They were being set up in sets of alternating colors of bags and cords. Lydia was doing the sewing. 

Morgana gathered up the finished bags and took them behind Stiles counter and sorted them according to color of bags and cords. 

It didn't take them long to have a pile of cut material and cords in all four colors. A towering pile. Lydia was showing signs of being overwhelmed now. The woman at the cutting table evidently offered to do a few bags for her so she could take a break. Lydia got up and let her have the chair. 

Brigid had thought Lydia was pretty good at sewing. Lydia was good. The woman was freaking amazing. She whipped out one bag in nothing flat and handed it to Lydia to approve. Lydia's jaw actually dropped slightly. She made a go ahead motion at the woman. She watched the woman turn out ten bags and then went over to the Cafe. 

She came back with Chocolate bites for the cord woman and a big batch for the woman that was sewing. They worked on it for a couple of hours then quit. There were stacks of brightly colored bags on the rear counter of the Special Order desk. Brigid thought they should last for weeks.

Was she ever wrong! 

A tsunami of customers hit after lunch. The humans came with lists. Someone some where had suggested how wonderful the sample kits would be for gifts. The new bags were perfect! 

Stiles had to quickly come up with pricing on the gift sets. He dumped that in Allison's lap since she was the one that came up with the bags. There was a huddle and then an agreement was reached. 

It seemed like most of the store was waiting for that. People were buying multiple gift bags of the Seven Scents. 

Brigid was wondering if she was ever going to be able to have a life again. Business was great. The entertainment value was beyond words. She slept like the dead when she got home. Earthday couldn't come too soon. 

 

 

Chapter 35

The next morning Morgana was waiting for them at the Cafe’. They could almost see the waves of smoldering anger flowing off of her. Her eyes had turned an eerie silvery color and both Humans and Others were giving her plenty of space. She was by herself in an out of the way table where she could see and be seen when they entered the shop. 

She got up and came around to the entrance when she spotted them. 

“Who pissed in your cereal?” Stiles had such a way with a question. 

“The baby Black Widow has an actual name. Besides tattle-tale bitch. It’s Brittanie with an ie not a y. Like I really give a shit and will be writing her name on anything.”

“Little ears! His list of no-no words is already longer than he is tall.” Stiles put his hand over Alex’s ear and pressed the boy’s head against his shoulder. 

Alex pushed his hand off. “I’ll go to my room and get the jars and stuff ready. Please don’t set anything on fire that you can’t fix or replace.” He slithered down Stiles’ body and walked over to the room behind the front counter. 

The adults looked at him and then each other. “Does anyone else find it kind of disturbing that is his response now to someone being pissed? ‘Don’t set anything on fire that you can’t fix or replace’. Seriously? Little dude has assimilated hasn’t he?” 

Morgana was snickering slightly. “Brittanie has been waiting for backup from the Coven. I have the feeling that it was a little bit or more than a little surprise for Teyla. Pricilla Precious Poo arrived late yesterday. No questions. Just let me tell this. They came to mother’s workplace. Teyla, Precious and Snooty-booty. Teyla was not happy at all but there didn’t seem to be much that she could do about it. It was like they just kind of came in and took over. I’m not sure that Precious and Snooty-booty are all that are going to show up from the Coven. 

Anyway, they ‘informed’ mother that it would now be fine if I came and worked in the Herb Store. Precious was going to be there as well as Teyla and from the look on Teyla’s face when that little fact was announced it was a most unwelcome surprise. She looked like she WAS contemplating setting them on fire. 

So, I could be worked for little to no pay learning things that they were willing to teach me even though I was not, nor would I ever be, a Black Widow Bitchette. Mother hung onto her cool better than I expected and got details out of them. It was the same things that I have already learned from Stiles. Probably not even as much as he has taught me. I am mainly going to be grunt labor or that is their plan for me. I personally have much better plans for me and they can … nevermind. That would make the no-no list twice as long.

Mother told them that I already had a job that I was quite satisfied with. If things changed, she would keep their offer in mind.

Precious sneered at mother. Mother snarled back. Teyla was the last one out. She and mother face messaged each other. I have no idea what they said but I think that we are just going to let this ride out and see what happens. 

I think that they are trying to move Teyla out of the Herb Store or at least out of being in charge. I don’t know if they can do that. I don’t know if it is hers. I don’t know how involved she and the Coven actually are with each other. I am getting the feeling… You know what? I think I’m going to stop there and not discuss what I am thinking. Not in public anyway. I am going to say that we need to watch our backs and each other’s. The Coven is going to try to cause problems. I’d rather them not be successful at it. 

Why don’t we just get to work and tend to our business and make it as successful as possible? That will piss them off to no end, in and of itself.” She smiled brightly with teeth. Morgana went over to the Special Order counter and started arranging things. 

“That was disturbing in so many ways. I think I am now traumatized.” Stiles wandered over to the other end of the Special Order counter and began piddle around. Setting things up and getting an idea of what he needed to do and wanted to do. 

The others shrugged and went to their spots to begin their day. It was mid-week. There was the possibility of a quiet day. Brigid thought to herself that possibility and probability are two different things. 

~~~~~~~~~

Stiles kept his eye on Morgana for the rest of the morning. He kept her as busy as possible. None of it was bullshit work. It was things that needed to be planned out and done. What do we have of this? How much more of that? Design a new label to go on the bottles to differentiate the massage oils and body oils. Is there anything else that you can think of that will come around to bite us on the ass because none of this was planned and we are still trying to get our footing? 

She was calm by lunchtime. Lydia had come in and pulled her over to a corner and they were conspiring as they ate. She came to relieve Stiles so he could go eat and was smiling. 

Stiles went and ate what Melissa handed him. He had this feeling of … something hanging over his head. He didn’t think that the Coven was going to just let things go. He had been thrown out of the store that he had helped keep going. That had probably been a mistake. Were they going to try to use Teyla to pull him back in? Would he be able to say ‘no’ if she asked him to come back and help? Would she ask? That was the thing. If she honestly asked for his help, he didn’t think that he could look himself in the mirror if he turned her down cold and didn’t at least try to do something to salvage the situation. 

If she came to him in private, just the two of them…. He would crater. He didn’t think that she would. The Coven wouldn’t want her to. Not to be vulnerable. They would want her to come at him from what they considered a position of power. To take and demand. He could easily withstand that tactic. It was in his nature to push back when shoved or put in a corner. 

He needed to talk to Scott. He wanted to make sure that Alex and Brigid were protected. Maybe he needed to talk to Allison. Scott would come to help him. It was the way they were and had fought for years. Catch the opponent between them. 

Allison didn’t have that history and she was a vicious bitch and he meant that in the most impressed and sincere way possible. Yeah, they needed to have a chat. Now was a good time. He finished off his food and went to find her. Hopefully he could find the right words when he tried to talk to her. 

He caught her in the hallway coming out of the bathroom. He gently caught her arm and nodded toward the back of the store. “I have something that is so very important to me to ask of you.”

He could see the surprise and curiosity on her face. She nodded and followed. 

“I’m not promising that they will but if the Coven does come for me I need you to do something.” 

He put a finger over her lips when she started shaking her head and opened her mouth to speak. “Listen. Scott and I have fought and hunted together for years. If shit comes down, he is going to move my way to catch them between us. It’s how we have always worked. I need you to take care of Alex and Brigid. They are the most vulnerable. It would be so easy to cause a diversion to get to them to use them against me. It would kill Scott if Alex was hurt because he didn’t think to guard him. I need that to be something that you will do for us.” 

He put it in terms he thought she could understand. “Pack. Brother from another mother. They are our soft underbelly. Brigid will fight for him. She will die for him if she has to. She’s Human. I don’t think that she has ever been encouraged or taught to fight. I need you to be her Claw and Fang. Can you do that for me? Don’t just say ‘yes’. Think about what I’m asking. I am hoping that we will have some time before someone plays the stupid card.” He kissed her on the forehead and walked away. 

Allison walked very slowly to the spot she where she was working. Scott gave her a look but she just shook her head. They would talk later. After she had time to think and make her own decision.

She watched and thought. Brigid was kind. She never had to get involved the first day. She didn't have to come to Rissa's rescue. She could have just gone on and minded her own business like most of the store did, Human or Other. 

Alex was very much like his mother. He was always trying to help. He didn't have to be asked or nagged. He saw something that he could do, most of the time he would clean or tidy or put things away. He didn't like to be far from Scott or Stiles. They were his security. He didn't venture out far into the store. He would go to the bathroom by himself. She watched him head off. She watched as he made a detour. Chris had made a section in the back of the store where he did his ordering and packing and unpacking. Her father, the original grumpy bastard, would take the time to help Alex buckle and unbuckle his belt and undo the top button. Nothing was said. Alex would enter the room and move over to stand by Chris. Chris would squat down and take care of the problem. 

Alex went to the bathroom and came out showing slightly damp hands. Or hand. One was occupied holding up his pants. 

Then it got interesting. Chris sat on the floor and fastened up Alex's pants. When he was done, he pulled Alex in his lap and they talked softly and briefly. Alex snuggled. Chris just held him. 

Allison moved away. It had been a long time since her father had anyone to snuggle with. Victoria had never given into such 'clingy behavior'. She didn't encourage it either. She wasn't all that much of a cuddly person herself. She knew that she could be affectionate but... Wasn't that just it. But. 

Her mind was made up. She would do everything that she could to keep Brigid and Alex safe. She needed to work on planning out the training that had been suggested. Ages ago it seemed now. She would just have to make time for it rather than wait for the 'right time'. It could be too late by then. 

She went back to her spot and caught Stiles' gaze. She nodded firmly. He looked blank then his face lit up with a glow. His eyes reminded her of amber with the lighting and expression on her face. An amber that seemed familiar but she couldn't place. Probably at the dead of night she would remember. In the meantime, she had work to do.


	19. Chapter 19

It wasn’t until much later in the day that the thing in the back of Allison’s mind finally came to the fore. 

“Listen. Scott and I have fought and hunted together for years. If shit comes down, he is going to move my way to catch them between us. It’s how we have always worked.

Scott and Stiles, by Stiles’ own admission, had fought and hunted together for years. Fought. Hunted. The Wolfgard did neither in skin. They just…didn’t. 

Scott knew what Stiles was in fur. He had known. For years. He had never told. He had never hinted. He had at times outright lied. 

When they had first expressed interest in each other, Allison had talked to Scott about Stiles. She didn’t want to get in the way off their ‘bromance’ as some of the girls were calling such things. The term came from the Humans. She still wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. She did agree that Scott and Stiles were close. Very close. 

A small part of her admitted that they were close in ways that she and Scott probably would not or perhaps even could not be. 

She didn’t have a female best friend. She had seen them. The “Best Friends Forever”. Humans were so handy for some things. 

The person trusted above all others with parts of your heart and soul. The one you could talk to about anything and know that you would still be accepted. Some things it was just useless and frustrating for both if she tried talking to a male. Another woman would and could understand on a level that didn’t need all of the words to reach…acknowledgement? It wasn’t always agreement. It really didn’t matter at the moment. 

Scott had lied to her. She had asked him if Stiles had a Shifter form. His answer had been “Probably.” She had asked “Do you know what it is or would be?” He had said… “No.” 

He had said ‘No’. He didn’t know. 

He and Stiles had hunted and fought together for years. Often enough to have strategies in place that were instinctual. 

She and Scott were going to have a talk later. After the store closed. She had learned that blood upset the Humans and was bad for sales. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stiles watched Allison come back from her break. She had her ‘ohshitshe’spissed’ walk going. What the fuck? She had been fine when she had walked out of the room with her snack. As far as he knew she hadn’t even talked to anyone. She just got mad all of the sudden on her own. And Scott wondered WHY he really didn’t want a girl of his own? If they weren’t yours, then they just kind of spread the femaleness around fairly equally. There was no shame in slinking away quietly when certain hormones came to visit. There was brave and then there was stupid. Hormonal females were hysterical and homicidal. It was kind of a morbid fascination how fast they could shift between the two. No mere male stood a chance. Yep, quietly slinking away was really the only option. 

Stiles carefully tested the air. Huh. Now what? Not hormones. No one said anything to her. She had been in the fucking room all by herself. What lit her shit? 

He would probably find out. They all stayed for about an hour after the store closed. The Humans were gone. They were all in a locked and closed building..together. He felt a shudder work his way down his spine. One female going in to … whatever mode… tended to set the others off. Morgana, Lydia, Brigid seemed to be a sane Human but she was still female. The Magpies left pretty quick after the Café closed. Melissa was one.. yeah. There was slinking in his future. Definite slinking. 

***********

“Scott. Do not go anywhere. We will talk when I have finished my work.” 

Every male in the store gave Scott the “it was nice knowing you. I’ll say good things about you at the funeral” look. 

“Stiles mentioned that the two of you have fought and hunted together for years.” 

Scott and Stiles looked at each other confused. Stiles shrugged. “I asked her to keep an eye on Brigid and Alex if any shit came down.”

Scott looked back at Allison with a confused expression on his face. “That makes sense. Brigid will do everything that she can to keep him safe but she is only Human.” 

Morgana and Lydia moved in closer. 

“Females closing in for the kill now.” 

“Stiles. Shut UP.” Scott glared at his best friend. He might be in the market for a new one after this. 

“I agreed.”

“Oh-kay.”

Allison moved in closer and her voice grew softer. “Hunted and fought.” She moved around him in a circle and then moved to catch the edges of his shirt. “We don’t hunt and fight in skin. You told me that you don’t know what Stiles’ other shape is.” She began to tighten her grip. 

“I don’t.” 

“Do. Not. Lie. To. Me.” Her nails lengthened slightly and there were spots of crimson on Scott’s pale denim shirt. 

“Uh.” Stiles moved forward slightly. 

Scott shifted so he was between Stiles and Allison. “I didn’t lie. I don’t know exactly what his shape is. If he wishes you to know then he will show it to you. If he needs it to protect you then he will use is. That is all that you need to know. The rest is want. You don’t get everything that you want in life Allison.” 

Scott tilted his head slightly and looked at her. “I admire and respect your father. I have always thought of you as strongly your father’s daughter. You are also your mother’s daughter.” He grasped her wrists and pulled them away from his chest. “Did you know that I am strong enough to break all of the bones in your wrists? You will heal. But you will feel the pain till you do. Would that show you how strong I am? Would you respect me more? I can hurt you. Badly. I have more experience. I’m bigger and stronger and more than that I know how to use both. I have allowed you to hit me. Poke me. Shove me. Tonight you have drawn blood.” 

He moved till their faces were inches apart. “The next time you hit me; I will hit you back. You start it. I’ll finish it. Your anger at your mother and your family isn’t my fault. Don’t make it my problem. Do we understand each other?” 

“Yes sir.” It was whisper soft. 

Scott released her wrists and walked out the back door. 

The room was silent.

Alex had moved closer and Brigid had picked him up. He clung to her about as much as she clung to him. When she and Chris made eye contact, there was a hint of "I told you so" in her gaze. 

Chris announced “I think this is a good time to stop and go home. We will deal with anything and everything else in the morning.” 

Lydia and Morgana herded the Magpies out the back to their car. Sam slunk out after still in fur. 

Stiles looked torn between finishing up what needed to be done and heading out the back door at a run. He looked like he couldn't decide if he was running from or to. 

Chris nodded toward the back door. "Go. I will clean up here." 

Stiles gave him a very grateful look and headed out the door at a jog. 

Chris looked at his daughter. "Go home." 

She seemed to want to say something but couldn't find the words. Finally she shrugged and walked out. 

Chris looked at Melissa. 

Scott's mother had a look on her face as she was still watching the door that was hard to pin down. "He looks like me and my side of the family. He's kind of quiet. Easily overlooked sometimes when he isn't with Stiles and in trouble." 

Brigid spoke up “He’s a good boy. He’s becoming a good man regardless of if it’s on two legs or four.” 

“I never realized how much of his father there was in him until tonight.” She was quiet. “I never realized. Or maybe I just didn’t look because it reminded me too much of Jager and what we lost when he died.” She turned and walked back into the Café and started shutting down and tidying up. 

Brigid kissed Alex on the forehead and put him down. “We need to finish up here and then we will go home. You are such a good helper we will be finished in no time.” 

Chris finished up and watched as the two women and child headed up the stairs to their apartments. He moved around the Bookstore doing small mindless things that needed to be done. 

Scott had moved between Stiles and Allison. He hadn’t truly reacted till Stiles caught her attention and she showed signs of taking her anger out on him as well. His daughter was trained and tough. She was not, however, the badass she thought herself. He hoped she never would be. It would take that Argent psycho streak that was willing to go down in flames and take the world with them. Kate had it. His father had it. Even though she wasn’t an Argent by blood, Victoria showed signs of that mentality. 

He hoped that Scott was right. That she was more his daughter than her mother’s. 

Was he losing his edge that Brigid the Human saw what lay beneath the puppy clearer than he had? Or had he just ignored, because. 

He didn’t want his little girl to grow up. The world could be a mean, cold, vicious place when you faced it as a grown-up. He had tried to be her shelter the best he could. Had he sheltered her too much? Not enough? 

Scott admired and respected him? That alone shifted his world on is axis. 

Hopefully he could find his footing in the morning. 

Hopefully, they all could. There was no way to go but forward after this.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CBookWyrm... Guess who showed up? :)

Stiles caught up with Scott. He pulled them over to a somewhat sheltered area and cast light wards. He had the feeling that what was going to come out would not be good to have the world hear. “Hey. Hey. It’s okay. I’m used to her getting snarly with me. I always thought it was the price you paid for having a girlfriend. That’s why I don’t have one of my own and we share dealing with yours.” Stiles bumped shoulders with Scott. 

Scott turned and looked at his friend. “She wasn’t just snarling tonight.”

Stiles touched the bloodstains on the shirt. “Yeah. But I’ve done worse. We have done worse to each other playing.” 

“No Stiles. She doesn’t get a pass on her behavior for this. I’m not willing to over-look it or make excuses. I watched Chris do that for and about Victoria. The man tried. So hard. He catered to her. He compromised. He turned himself inside out to please her sometimes. It still didn’t matter. The woman was a true bitch. He compromised and it made her mad. He stood up to her and she got furious. 

I saw her slap him one time. One time. Chris didn’t do anything but wipe the blood that she drew off of his mouth. I honestly thought Peter was going to… I’m not sure even Peter knew what he had in mind when he started toward her except that it was going to hurt… very much and for a long time.

Chris got between them. I wonder who he was actually protecting? I doubt he knew. Peter was in his life long before Victoria made her power marriage to him. Despite the shit that most of his family gave him for ‘consorting’ with the Sanguinati. Consorting? Really? Who uses words like that? His mother was the only one that treated Peter well. She was cordial with the rest of the Hales. 

I’m not Chris and my Mom isn’t a freaking psycho or an asshole like the women in his family. I wasn’t brought up to put up with that kind of shit. Allison doesn’t show any signs of it unless she is around her mother or Kate for a few weeks. It’s like they.. do something to her. Screw with her head. Victoria is a bitch. 

Kate is the fucking psycho that she accuses Peter of being. 

The only reason Kate made it out of the Courtyard that time was because of Chris and Derek double-teaming Peter. It was just after Chris’ mother died. You remember what a basket case he was for a couple of months. Peter moved him and Allison into the apartment over the Bookstore and pretty much took care of them. I only knew because they were right next door to us. You think that I’m a Mama’s boy, I’ve got nothing on Chris. He worshiped the ground his mother walked on. 

I overheard Peter and Chris talking. Chris wondered if some of his own family didn’t have something to do with her death. She was too vocal. To adamant about their Code. She didn’t believe in compromise. The Coven hated her. She was always on their ass about how they treated people. People rolled their eyes and called her a conspiracy theorist. But I noticed when things started heating up was when she started getting sick. Wolfgard. How often do we get sick? Not us..we’re mixed. She was a full-blood. A strong full-blood. Her family tree had branches unlike some others I could name.

She started getting sick and kept getting worse and no one knew why. Chris dropped everything to take care of her. Not her husband. Not Kate. Not even Victoria. Chris. When he really needed help, he called Teyla or my mom. Victoria and Kate kept Allison away in case it was contagious. They moved the woman out of her own fucking house. 

Chris just went with it to keep the peace. By then she didn’t care. Allison would sneak in when she could. She would come over to our place and help Momma cook spicy stuff to cover the scent. That’s how I knew. I liked that girl. I'm not so sure about the person she is now. 

But then his mom died and everything really started changing. Not for the better. 

Kate and Victoria were into some really twisted stuff. They were all into the Coven. The Coven had plans for Derek. Kate was using him. I don’t know what happened that night. I don’t want to know. Peter knew. He had this look on his face. What I saw of it scared the shit out of me. There is a reason that the Sanguinati are feared. A damn good reason. Kate was to get a front row seat. 

Derek didn’t hate her then. He was probably still under her influence. She was Chris’ sister. Despite everything she was his sister. 

Chris pleading with Peter that he just couldn’t lose anyone else… I don’t know if he was actually talking about Kate or losing Peter. 

He was so desperate. So broken. It devastated him more than it Derek. I don’t know what she did or was going to do but it was majorly shitty. Derek back then was an arrogant asshole and brought some of it on himself.. but not all of what ever happened. I wished that I had never seen that. I was sneaking around being so proud of myself for being such a good hunter. I got lucky. I knew it and got out of there. 

I’ve watched my mom and dad. That’s not how you treat someone you care about. If I treated Allison the way she has been treating me lately, all hell would be raining down on my head.” 

He stopped and looked at Stiles. “Wouldn’t it?” 

Stiles had to admit that the past month Allison had been .. intense. She had gotten so much better since they had pulled her into working at the Bookstore. “She’s always been a bit volatile. We joked about her scary factor…remember?” 

“I’m not joking now. I’ve had enough. It was like she was all of the sudden channeling her mother or Kate. Neither of them should be around so I don’t get what flipped her shit. She doesn’t get to take her problems and attitude out on me. Not without getting attitude back. Just because I tend to be mellow about things doesn’t mean that I’m a fucking pushover.”

“I think she got the message tonight. I’m freezing my ass off out here. I’m not meant for outside without a coat. Fur or human made, it doesn’t matter but skin isn’t working here.” 

Scott looked at him and sighed. “You’re such a pussy.”

Stiles gave him evil eye. “Very funny. I’m going inside. You can join me or not. I draw the best friend line as losing my nuts to frostbite.” He distain-sniffed at Scott and began to walk back toward the building. A snowball hit him in the middle of the back. 

“Oh you did not just do that. You asshole. You fucking asshole. Screw you. I’m not playing.” Stiles began to jog toward the warm building. Payback was going to be a bitch for one wolfie. He was a Black Widow. He had grown up drowning in estrogen. He could do bitchy. 

Scott followed after him with a grin on his face. Few things were more fun than pulling Stiles’ tail. It was a great stress reliever and took his mind off wondering if his semi-girlfriend was losing her mind. There was so much of Kate in that little display that his grip on things had gotten a little shaky. 

Peter had been so urbanely pleasant when he told Kate that he was going to see how much blood she could lose before her Wolfgard healing failed. He wouldn’t even consider drinking it. She was tainted. “Run little wolf. Run fast and run far. Keep looking over your shoulder. I’ll be in the shadows. I’ll spill your blood like you planned to spill my nephew’s. Run.” 

Scott shivered. The words had stuck with him. “I’ll spill your blood like you planned to spill my nephew’s." What DID she have planned for Derek? He needed to get inside and aggravate Stiles till he could get his head on straight. Allison’s Kate-freak moment had shifted his world. Up until then he had thought he could trust her. 

He really needed to talk to his mother. Nobody could understand crazy women like another woman. His mom was the best. He shivered again and headed back inside. It didn’t help that it would be the full moon soon. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The last thing that Stiles expected was to have Chris knock on his door carrying a crying Allison.

Scott was over and Alex had wanted to hang out with the boys. It was normal, hanging out with his 'buds'. His world had been shaken by the sudden violence. 

When Stiles opened the door he could tell that something was very wrong. “Put her on the bed. Grab a trashcan. She looks like she’s going to puke.” 

Alex looked like a startled fawn then bolted and grabbed the trashcan and held it up. He got it to Allison just in time for her to start dry-heaving. 

Chris almost dropped her before he got her on the bed. She slid off and curled up on the floor. “No. Not the bed. I don’t wanna lay on the bed. It makes it hurt more.” 

Everybody looked at Chris. 

He made this sort of lifted hands helpless gesture. “She was quiet when I got home. She was just sitting there. She wasn’t hungry so I didn’t make her eat. I knew she was upset. She never wants to eat when she's upset. She went to her room and I heard the shower run. I did check later and she was curled up on the bed. 

The next thing I knew she was throwing up and crying. Her head hurt. She has never had a headache bad enough to make her vomit. She couldn’t keep anything down. I got her in the living room and tried the headache remedies that could be applied topically. That helped. I can’t get the nausea stopped.”

“Just a question but why did you come to me? Why not go to Teyla?” 

“Because if I have to put up with any more Coven crap from that little bitchette I’m going to punch her in the face and be so ashamed of myself later. Precious and Snooty are all over everything and I don’t know that Teyla has even had the chance to pee by herself today.” 

Scott, Stiles and Alex just looked at him kind of horrified. “Are you serious or are you exaggerating slightly for effect?”

“I am dead serious. It’s like they are honestly afraid to let her out of their sight. I have no idea what they think she’s going to do but… that’s not my problem. Allison really needs your help.” 

“Okay. Crap. Let me think. Melissa. Let me go and get Melissa.” 

“Why do you need my mom?”

“Because if you can’t get it down one end and get it to stay, you go for the other end. I should be back in a couple of minutes. She’s helped Teyla a lot when the Coven wasn’t around. Plus the woman thing is definitely on my mind.” Stiles was out the door. 

Scott and Alex looked at each other blankly. They looked at Allison on the floor crying silently in her nightgown. The light bulb went on and they headed for the door. “I’ll go and help my Momma. She has things for me to do.” Alex made his excuse first. “I’ll go help her help him.” Sad when the five year old could come up with a better excuse than the twenty year old. 

Chris sat on the floor and stroked his daughter’s back. Something was wrong. He was experienced enough to be wary of hormones and females. How they could short-circuit even the most reasonable of women sometimes. Allison had been prone to cramps. Teyla and Lylith had quickly gotten that under control. She was cranky the day before and first day of her menses. Damn was she cranky. But it was a normal cranky. Don’t look at me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t touch the couch I am sulking on. I don’t care if you are burning up; I’m freezing. Deal with it. Go outside. Why are you stomping across the floor? I was asleep. That was not normal walking. It was stomping. Are you telling me I don’t know what stomping is? Do you think I’m stupid or something? She didn’t want him in the room with her because he vibrated and bothered her. But she didn’t want him that far away either in case she needed him. For both their sanities he was glad it only lasted about 48-hours. 

This little episode had not been normal. She wasn’t a violent person. Not unless provoked. She usually got a great deal more verbal before she went for physical. He was worried. It reminded him too much of Kate and some of her moods. 

Allison wiggled her way into his lap. “Cold.” 

He pulled the quilt at the end of the bed off and spread it over her. The nausea seemed to be easing. Everyone would be relieved if she could take liquid by mouth. 

Melissa and Stiles came in the door carrying a variety of things just as he was thinking that. 

“She still have the dry heaves?” 

“No.” Allison answered for herself. “Try the Lavender again. It almost worked before.” 

Stiles got out some of his oils and put a few drops of Lavender in. He started with the back of her neck after moving her wet hair out of the way. “We need to get her hair dried. Melissa would you mind getting a towel and warming it slightly to put around her head?” 

He applied the lavender and waited. “Let me know when you are ready to try the liquid. You need to rehydrate.” 

She held out a hand. She managed to get it down one small sip at a time. It stayed down. “My head still hurts. It’s this crawling, clawing pain like something is in my brain and wants to get out.” 

Chris could see Stiles’ eyes widen at that description. 

Stiles got up and went over to his oils. He came back with two different bowls that had oil in them. “Smell both of these and tell me which one you want me to put on you.” 

One bowl made her gag. The other got a sigh of relief. Stiles handed the bowl she had refused to Melissa who put it back over on the other side of the room. He started at her feet and coated her in the oil. Once he got to the tops of her thighs, he turned it over to Melissa. He made another batch and put it nearby. He pulled out a thick pad for Allison to curl up on and spread a sheet over it. “Curl up here. Melissa will finish up and you can go to sleep. Chris can sleep in my bed and I’ll stay at Scott’s. The doors are open between the apartments so you can just walk over if you need me.” 

He walked over to a chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of sweats he tossed to Chris. “I’ll be through in the morning. We can cover the store. I have the feeling that something in your house is triggering it so don’t take her back till I get the chance to look it over. Here is some soak. When she is feeling better in the morning, have her use both of them and soak for as long as she can stand to be in the tub but at least thirty minutes. Use this bottle of body oil when she’s done. Let it soak in before she gets dressed. She can wear a pair of my sweats. As far as anyone knows, she is having a really sucky girl time this month and that’s why she’s not working at the Bookstore. No female will question that and guys will walk away as fast as possible.”

Allison looked at him fuzzily. “I’m not having a sucky girl time.” 

“No. You are reacting to something. I need to find out what.” 

“Is there a reason we are keeping the fact that I’m reacting to something a secret?”

“Yes.” 

“That was informative.” 

“You are starting to feel better aren’t you.” 

Allison just sighed and put her head back down. “I’m going to sleep now since I’m having a sucky girl time and won’t be a work tomorrow.” She pulled the quilt over her head and got still. 

“Let us leave and Melissa finish rubbing the oil on you and then you can go to sleep.” 

Stiles nodded toward the hallway. Chris got up and followed him out. 

Chris looked at Stiles. “I have the feeling that nothing that you are going to ask or tell me is going to make me a happy man.”

“Is her bed an heirloom?”

Chris looked blank then raised both eyebrows. “No. It is something that she picked out when she turned 16.” 

“I hope she’s not too attached to it.”

“Why would that be?” 

“Because you, Sam and Dean are going to go over there and tear it apart.”

Chris had a look of disbelief on his face. “I think that there needs to be more words to that directive. A great number of more words that constitute an explanation.” 

“Peter’s rubbed off on you. Hasn’t he?” 

Chris made some sort of choking noise in answer. 

“That’s where your mind went? I was thinking vocabulary and phrasing but that is fine to. Just as long as I don’t have to watch or I’d be put off sex for life.” 

“Stiles!” 

“There is something somewhere in her bed. Did you notice how upset she got when you went to put her on the bed? How she kept saying that the bed made it worse? I don’t know what it is. Sam and Dean are strong enough to take the entire thing apart to find whatever it is and also experienced enough to recognize when they have found what we are after.”

“Oh? And you know this how?” 

“Experience. Experience that you don’t want. Just go with me on this. Find it, bring it to me so I can have it destroyed after I get a clue about who put it there and why.” 

Chris leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Kate. I don’t care if it’s wrong of me but I hope that it was Kate or someone she talked into it.” 

“I sort of hope so too.” 

“I’ll kill her. If it’s her I’ll kill her.” 

“I’ll help you dispose of the body.” 

“That’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking.” 

Chris opened his eyes and looked at Stiles. For a long moment in the quiet hallway, he just looked. He held out his hand. Stiles took it. 

He stood and pulled Chris to his feet. “They are going to be a little while. Come to Melissa’s and let Scott feed you. It will make you both feel better.” 

“You could be right.” 

With a gentle touch, Stiles guided him down the hallway to Melissa’s. 

It was only Windsday. It was going to be a long week.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'real' Teen Wolf world and the worlds that Anne Bishop create are a whole lot darker than I will ever write. I don't do "rocks fall; everybody dies" either. I've only read 'Written In Red'. I haven't read the follow up of 'Murder of Crows'. Humans aren't "Special Meat" for the Others to enjoy in the world that I'm creating. This is going to start diverging from the book more than it has already. I considered it a spring board to tell my own stories and make my own reality. As for the show... really? I'm stealing them as they are being killed off and before they are killed off and running away. Bhwaahahaah.

Stiles met Scott at the back door. Brigid and Alex were trailing along behind. They already knew that Allison wasn’t going to be at work today. She wasn’t well. 

Stiles had called to let Morgana know and asked her to meet him at 8:00 a.m. to have a planning session. Chris was keeping an eye on Allison so they wouldn’t be able to count on him being able to help out much.

Morgana snorted. “Chris spends his time hiding anyway when the store gets full. He takes in the book orders and does that part. But then I guess I should be fair. That is what he opened the Bookstore to do.” 

“Being fair is always a nice thing Morgana. You are spending too much time with Lydia.”

“Oh really?” 

“Ooops, look at the time. Gotta go. I’ll see you in the morning at 8:00 a.m.” Stiles closed the connection and hastily put the phone down. He wasn’t sure she couldn’t wammy him through the phone. He didn’t want to find out. He needed to get some sleep. That was a stupid-attack making a comment like that. At least he hadn’t done it to her face and in front of Lydia.

Stiles groaned when Morgana walked up. With Lydia. He was just about to have a sucky boy day to go with Allison’s sucky girl day. 

“Good morning Stiles. Since Lydia and I spend so much time together and it evidently has your approval she decided to come to work with me today. To help out. For money or products. Since evidently the kindness of her heart doesn’t exist.” They both ‘smiled’ at him. 

Stiles could feel Scott, Brigid and Alex shifting away from him to get out of the line of fire. Wonderful, Brigid and Alex had that much survival training. They were up on him when it came to survival smarts. It was the ass-crack of the day and he already had two females irritated at him. Imagine what the rest of the day could bring. 

“Great. Be happy to. Here let’s open the door and get started on our wonderful day.”

Alex looked at his mother “What did Stiles drink for breakfast?”

Brigid looked at him in surprise. Opened her mouth to reply. Looked at Stiles. Shrugged and closed her mouth without saying a word. 

Melissa jingled the keys at them. “You staying out there or are you coming inside?” 

They obediently lined up and she let them into the Bookstore. 

Chris had tapped at her door at ‘you are shitting me’ o’clock in the morning and had given her the keys and put her in charge of them. When she had asked “Why me?” He looked at her. “How long have you been pack mother to Stiles and Scott?” 

Melissa raised a brow at him.

“Exactly. If you can manage the two of them not blowing themselves and everything around them up, then you are perfectly capable of pack mothering a few more that aren’t nearly as much trouble. Have a fun day at work dear.” He ducked the nearest blunt object she threw at his head. 

He trotted back down the hall and left her glaring at the broken rock on the floor. Crap. She’d liked that thing. It was perfect for sticking the mail under till she could remember to take it to the post office. She walked out in her nightgown and picked it up. Well hell, it split. The thing was a geode.

There were beautiful spikes of amethyst inside. Please Mother Night let that be symbolic of what was to come from the mess that they were finding themselves in. Hidden beauty. Right now the only thing on her mind was her beauty sleep. 

Which she hadn’t had nearly enough of. Melissa watched them file in. Like puppies on good behavior till your back was turned. 

Brigid was an adult. 

Melissa snorted. If she went by behavior then Brigid and Alex were the only ones that qualified. Scott and Stiles poked-shoved each other till they went to their spots to get ready. Brigid was rolling her eyes and Alex just sighed. Alex went to his room to get ready and Brigid arranged her counter. 

Lydia and Morgana conferred while giving side eye to Stiles. Probably just to make him nervous which was working. They headed for the bags area to make plans. Probably of world domination. She would be happy to let them have it. Such foolishness was for the young. When you got older you figured out you didn’t really want to be responsible for the amount of stupid that could be generated in a short period of time by two leggers. The Others were no better than Humans when it came to that.

She had a business to run. Hopefully Chris would remember that he needed to get the safe open and the cash registers up before it came time to open the doors. If not, she would be happy to remind him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Chris did remember to get the cash drawers for the registers. He came though and took care of that. “I’m going to be borrowing Sam and Dean to help me with something this morning. They should be back later this afternoon. Hopefully. If not then their friend will just have to be Security Wolf all day.”

He dropped that on them and left. 

Scott and Stiles looked at each other. A friend of Sam and Dean? Security Wolf? Oh couldn’t this just be a very bad, horrible, no good day. Lydia and Morgana moved closer. “Do you suppose there was a reason he ran off before we could ask him any questions?” 

“I would just bet it would be because he either couldn’t or didn’t want to answer any questions. It’s Thiasday. After today only two more days. I don’t give a shit if the world is ending. I don’t want to hear about it. I’m off Earthday and not doing anything but eat and sleep.” Stiles nodded his head vehemently. 

They drifted back to their spots to prepare for the day. Break and lunch schedules were made. Plans that wouldn’t survive the first engagement with customers were made. Nervous glances to the front door that the Security Wolf usually came in just before the store opened were made. It was going to be an interesting day. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They waited. The Bookstore was open. There was no Security Wolf. In some ways it wasn’t a big deal. There was enough ‘fire power’ in the room with Scott, Stiles, Morgana and Lydia to handle almost anything. Melissa was right next door. It was just that there had always been a Security Wolf. It made them uneasy. Things would be more normal and comfortable once their Security arrived. 

A few humans trickled in. A couple of Others wandered through from the Café. 

The heavy wood and glass door swung open and a figure was silhouetted in the rising sun. A long coat gently blew in the chill breeze. Scott gave into his instinctive reaction. He lunged forward to slam the door shut and keep the figure out of the Bookstore. 

Force met force and held the door open. Slowly Scott was pushed back. The newcomer was an adult male. There was more mass to him than there was to Scott. 

“Really? Slam the door in my face?! Come on Scott. Take a second to think that through.”

“What was I supposed to do?”

The person just looked at him and slowly raised an eyebrow. 

“Who is that?” Alex’s rasping voice could be heard. 

“Peter.” Came the answer from Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Morgana. It sounded more like a curse word than a name. 

“Hi.” He waved at Brigid and Alex. 

“What are you doing here?” Scott was taking the lead.

“I’m your help today.” 

“Why would we want help from a total psycho?” 

“First of all I’m not a ‘total’ psycho. Second, the Wolfgard started it.” 

“Wonder why?” Came from Stiles. 

Peter just shrugged. “I don’t claim to understand the animal mind.”

Scott lunged. Peter raised his hands to grab him only for Scott to throw himself backward to avoid being touched. Stiles moved up to stand shoulder to shoulder with Scott. 

“Who sent you?” Melissa had arrived and their audience was growing. Curious people in both stores were watching the show. 

“Christopher. Sam and Dean’s little friend couldn’t make it. I told Chris that I would be happy to help out.”

“What did Chris say?”

They could hear the muttered comment from Alex “There were no-no words involved.” He moved around and before anyone could stop him approached Peter. “Can you turn into a wolf?”

“No.” 

“Huh. That’s not helpful.” 

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’ll just have to stay you instead of something scary. The girls can be the scary instead.” He looked around. “You can sit in the reading chair and keep an eye on things. Come on. I’ll show you where it is.” He held out his hand for Peter to take. 

Peter took his hand and was lead over to a raised area near the front and good light to read by. He closed the front curtains slightly. “Sensitive skin.” 

Alex just nodded. “I’ll get you something to drink and some chocolate bites.” He walked off toward the Café. 

Brigid looked at the expression of frozen horror on Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Morgana’s faces. There was something going on. The customers that she could identify as Other had an odd look as well as they studied Peter. 

Melissa sent Alex back to his room and brought Peter a drink and some chocolate bites. It was more of an exchange of lift-lip than smiles as he thanked her. 

Brigid looked at her son. He looked back, shrugged and went back to arranging his jars. 

The morning was quiet. Peter sat quietly in the reading chair where Alex had put him. The humans didn’t notice him for the most part. The Others would catch sight of him and take a slight step back. He wasn’t doing anything. He was just sitting there. Almost motionless. That shouldn’t be frightening. Brigid wondered what she was missing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris arrived back after lunch. She could almost hear the sigh of relief as Sam followed him inside in wolf form and took his spot on his platform. 

“Stiles, Dean wants to talk to you when you can get away.” 

Stiles looked around. “Where is he? Morgana can handle things for an hour.” 

Chris handed him a piece of paper. 

“Oh. That’s a good idea. I’ll take care of that now.” He left. 

Chris shook himself slightly and looked around. He startled slightly when he spotted Peter. 

“Crap.” 

“Ah-ah. I’ll think that you aren’t happy to see me Christopher. That would hurt my delicate feelings.” 

Chris just snorted. 

“And here I’ve spent the morning watching out after your little chicks. Out of the goodness of my heart.”

As one, every Other head in the room turned and they looked at him with an expression of disbelief. 

Peter leaned forward. His voice was deeper and soft. “What other reason would I have? Hummm?” 

The Others found something to look at or buy. On the opposite side of the store. Then decided they needed to eat now. In the Café. Which was in another building. 

“Stop scaring the customers. They won’t spend money here if you scare them away.” 

Peter’s smile changed slightly. “They will be back to look and gawk. To discuss what was and wasn’t said. They will come. They always do.” He got to his feet. There was now an abnormal grace to his movements. “Since you think there is no goodness in my heart Christopher. You can pay me back. Later.” He strolled out of the store. 

It was dead silent and still for almost a whole minute as everyone, human and Other watched the door. Making sure that he was gone. 

“You asked HIM to watch US?!”

“No I asked him to GET someone to keep an eye on you when Sam and Dean’s friend couldn’t.” 

“Why? Did he eat him?"

Chris threw his hands up. “I have work to do and so do you.” He looked around. “The rest of you have money to spend. Get busy.” He walked off. 

It was going to be a Brandy chocolate bite day. She could just tell.


	22. Chapter 22

Stiles exited the store and headed toward the spot Dean suggested at a steady jog. It probably wasn’t necessary to do the Ritual to destroy whatever it was that they had found that far away. He could have done it in his workspace. After he let Dean in. Dean could be a bit of a paranoid bastard. Still he came from a family of Enforcers. Best to humor him. He had a Dark side to him and didn’t always seem to be wrapped really tightly. Sam was the more reasonable one to deal with. 

Shit. It would have been a working brain thing to grab his coat on the way out of the door. He would have had to go back up to his apartment and disturbe Allison. That was always dangerous. He had already been snarled at once this morning. He didn’t see the appeal of having a girlfriend. Nope. Not seeing it at all. You get all ‘that’ directed toward one person instead of spreading it around. 

He was a hell of a best friend to be willing to share Scott’s girlfriend grief. Scott needed to appreciate that. He was almost there. It was a good idea. To never be seen in his other form. It was a very good idea. His feet were freezing and so were his nuts. He HATED the cold in this form. And wet. Wet sucked. 

Finally, he could see Dean at the entrance to the cave. 

“Please tell me you have a fire lit.”

“Scott’s right. You’re such a pussy.” 

“You have no idea of my pussyness. Never have and never will.” 

Dean gave him a lift-lip look of disbelief. “Seriously dude. That’s your come-back?”

Stiles sighed and walked over to the fire burning in a low pit. “What did you find? Oh, I’m sorry what did Sam find and where did he find it?”

“Chris found it. Bitch.” 

“He was motivated to be useful. Unlike some people I know. Good. Where is it?”

“Over there.” Dean pointed to a bowl shaped piece of rock near the back of the cave. It had been shaped by someone. Make that something. It was chest high on them and deeply curved. 

Stiles looked in and saw the bag. All humor fled. “I’m glad that Allison isn’t turning into a psycho bitch like the rest of her family. It was one of her family that put it there. Wasn’t it? That’s what put her on the crazy-train yesterday.”

Dean walked closer and looked at the small bag. “We couldn’t detect any other scents in the room. Allison was the strongest of course. Chris as he wandered through. Victoria and Kate were faint.” 

“What could you tell about the bag itself? What did Sam have to say about it?”

“It sort of looks like Coven work but not exactly. He didn’t think it was a good idea to tamper with it. He didn’t try to open it and look at the contents to get a better idea of what someone was trying to do besides control her to an extent.” 

“Yeah. I kinda understand that. She selected Serenity instead of Purity. Purity started her gagging again as my Craft and Wards interacted with theirs.”

“That is some sick shit.” 

“I don’t think we have any idea yet how sick this shit is going to get. I was afraid of what would happen to her if I tried to remove and purify before I found the geas. Her head was really hurting. She said it was like something was crawling and clawing inside her brain.”

Stiles looked at Dean. “Kate is her aunt. She has been around Allison off and on most all of Allison’s life. Victoria is her fucking mother! My mother died for me. How? Why?” 

Dean’s eyes shined slightly. “Mothers take care of their kids. That’s what mother do.” He shook his head. “Not our problem right now. What do we do about the bag?”

“The Breaking Ritual with Oak blessing.” 

“Holly.” 

“Oak for strength and purifying.” 

“Holly for protection.”

“She doesn’t just need protecting. The Ritual itself is protective. She needs to get rid of the hooks that they have in her. Oak.” 

“She needs the extra protection to keep her safe. They didn’t care about her or they wouldn’t have done that to her. Holly.” 

“Have you ever done this Ritual before?”

“No but I’ve seen it done. I come from a long line of Enforcers and I’ve been fucking trained. I’m saying Holly.” 

“And I’m the fucking Black Widow. Wanna see my Hourglass?”

“Wanna see my dick and balls and see who’s bigger? This is about Allison and getting rid of the shit that was done to her. Holly.” 

Stiles took a deep breath. “You are right.” 

“Thought so.” 

“This is about Allison.” 

“Ritual with Holly.” 

“Ritual with Oak unless you can do the Ritual.” 

Dean gave him an angry look. “You know I can’t.” 

“Allison is my friend. I want her fixed and safe. I swear this isn’t who hangs the lowest.” 

Dean sighed. “Fine. Sam usually is in charge of this shit anyway. Let’s get it done.” 

They got the supplies and set up for the Ritual with Oak. Stiles cast the Wards around the Altar and the cave. He and Dean were on either side of the stone bowl as they began. Wave, chant, drop, wave, channel power, drop… it was all going well. 

Stiles added the Oak. 

The bag began to glow. And glow. Oh. Crap. Their eyes met over the incandescent mass in the stone bowl and said as one… “Rowan. RUN”

It was more of a lunging, crawling scramble. Dean grabbed Stiles and got him out of the line of fire the best he could. Stiles was frantically shoving sheer desperate power more than actual trained Craft at the Altar. It could be seen in a dark shimmering stream. 

“Fuck me.” They were going to die. They had both been wrong about what the female who had Crafted the bag was capable of. They had made a mistake and it was going to cost both of them their lives. Dean’s life. Snarky. Sensitive. Tender-hearted. Devoted and loyal as the Wolf that was his form. 

Stiles dug deep and opened channels of power he didn’t know he had. Please let it be enough. He didn’t want to die. If he had to, please…please let him be able to save Dean. Let him be able to save Dean. 

The cave lit up with Dark writhing flames. They were a tainted Dark that swarmed up out of the bag and battered against the barrier around the bowl. It was quickly overwhelmed. 

The taint washed around the cave battling with the protections that both boys were frantically erecting. They were talented and trained and both strong-willed… and still just boys. Young. 

The female that had cast blood, power and intent into the bag was fully mature. She hadn’t been alone. There had been others that stood with her and behind her. 

Stiles and Dean were alone. In an unknown cave that Dean had selected hoping to keep the others safe. They only had each other. 

Dean hauled them behind a massive rock. He threw everything he had at the tainted flames. He had no great skill. That was Sam. All he had was strength and will. The will to protect. He had been a Protector all of his life. 

He had spent his life protecting friends, family and strangers. Protecting Sam. His brother. The only thing he had left of the life before. The brother he was going to leave alone. He was going to die. He was going to fucking die. “Nooooo! Fuck! You! Bitch!” It was more of a scream of pain and rage than a spell. 

Some fucking cunt was not going to take him out. She wasn’t going to get Stiles. She wasn’t going to get Allison. She wasn’t going to fuck with his baby brother and she sure as hell wasn’t going to piss all over him. He fought back with everything that was in him. “I’m not going to leave him. You can’t have him. He’s my brother. He’s my brother.”

The world went black.


	23. Chapter 23

Stiles could feel his heart beating. Slamming against his ribs. It was dark. He couldn’t see anything. It was hard to breathe. He hurt.   
He struggled to breathe a bit longer. Time didn’t mean much. It was measured in the pained beats of his heart and struggle to breathe.   
Mother Night and the Darkness be merciful. He hurt. That meant he was still alive. 

He began to flail around. Dean. 

“I got’cha. I got’cha.” The voice was raspier than usual. 

Stiles sagged in relief. They had managed, somehow, through luck more than Talent not to get each other killed. “You okay?”

“Hell no. I hurt like a mother-fucker.” Dean paused thoughtfully. “But I’m alive which kind of evens it out.” 

“Same here. Think you could see your way to getting your heavy ass off of me? Makes it kind of hard to breathe.” 

“Bitch. Bitch. Bitch.” Dean shifted to the side still holding Stiles. 

A fact that Stiles was profoundly grateful for and reciprocating with great relief. He could feel Dean’s heartbeat where their bodies were still pressed tightly together. 

“Can you see?”

“Nope. Guessing you can’t either?”

“Got a lighter? I don’t think I have any Craft left to try to make a flame.”

“Why?”

“I want to see if I’m blind.” 

“Dude. Did you hear what just came out of your mouth? I can tell you that you’re brain damaged. Oh wait, that’s your natural state. My bad.” 

“Bitch.” 

“Mr. Bitch to you.” 

“You up to trying to stand?”

“How about we try sitting up first.” 

“Good idea.” 

“I thought so.”

“Ready?”

“No, but don’t let that stop you. Ow-ow-ow-ow shit, fuck, damn, ow.”

“And you call me a pussy?”

“I’m sitting up. You’re still on the ground. Bitching about it doesn’t count. It’s the doing that matters.” 

Neither of them mentioned the whimpering sounds that came out of Stiles as he slowly managed to lever his body upward. He got to his feet with the help of the rock he couldn’t see. That was good because he could feel tears and snot running down his face. 

Dean managed to get to his feet as well. 

They leaned against the rock and each other in the dark. 

Then they started laughing. 

“Oh man. The look on your face. I thought you were going to piss yourself.” 

“Me? Your eyes got so big you looked like a house-elf from that human movie.” 

“Bullshit. I’m always handsome. Dashing Dean.”

“Dashing Dean!? You hit your head when you fell didn’t you?” 

“Shaddup he-whose-name-can’t-be-said…”

“You really liked that movie didn’t you? How many times have you watched it?”

“I can see the opening now. Wanna try for it?”

“I’m all for getting out of here.” 

“You first.” 

Stiles snorted. “You aren’t moving any better than I am don’t give me that. We’ll go staggering out into the daylight together.”

“Fine. Harsh my groove then.” 

They got a better grip on each other and picked their way slowly and painfully across the rubble strewn floor. Dean glanced over. They wouldn’t be using that Altar again. Not that there was any Altar left to use. He was going to have to have a talk with Sam. This was above his pay-grade. He might just find someone else’s lap to dump it in. They had a problem. Big problem that didn’t give a damn about collateral damage. He was no wimp, he had seen and done a lot of things. Stiles was pretty bad-ass himself. It had been all that they could do to survive. His eyes watered in the cold and sunlight. 

They looked at each other. Battered and bloody. 

“We really need to clean up before we go back into the Bookstore. They’ll stroke out if they see us looking like this.”

“Is there anywhere closer? I’m going to need some time to heal more. I don’t want to have to walk any further than I absolutely have to.” 

“There is a Crash Shack just around the trees.” 

“A what?” 

“Crash Shack. It’s what I’ve always heard it called. It’s a Wolfgard thing. A place to crash when you are doing patrolling or security. It’s not much but it will work for what we need it for. Come on. It’s not far.” 

Stiles hoped that he was telling the truth. 

They rounded the trees and Stiles could see the structure tucking into a sheltered area. It was on wheels. He had always heard them called Traveler-wagons. They were meant to be moved from one place to another. A way of taking home with you. 

Dean boosted him up the steps and they semi-walked, semi-fell inside. Floor was good. It wasn’t that hard. There were rugs. That he was bleeding on. He would take care of that later. When he really cared. 

It took them about an hour to recover. Not completely, that would take much more time. But enough that they could clean up and head back to the Bookstore. They both dropped money in the box on the counter. Stiles would find out who had gotten stuck with cleaning duty and gift them with their choice of some of his products. Some of the towels could be cleaned but burning was probably the best bed and oh shit. “We need to take the towels with us. I don’t want the Coven to get their hands on our blood. Besides.. it’s not like they are going to come clean even with bleaching.” 

Dean just looked at him. “Fine. I know who does the cleaning. I’ll let them know.” 

“Have them come and see me. Later. I’ll give them their choice of some of my stuff. We are leaving them a hell of a mess.” 

Dean nodded. “Her. They guys were always bitching about it so I got her the job. I try to keep an eye on things when I can. Make sure that they leave money when they use the Shack. She cleans some other places as well. I need to check on that. Shit.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I could catch her and ask her to burn the towels and I know she would. Do we need the ashes as well?”

“Dean. You have something going on in that head of yours. That’s unusual enough that you have my attention. Spill it.”

“I need to get her another job. I don’t think that she’s making enough.”

“Keep talking.”

Dean just glared at him. “I’ll handle it. Grab the towels if you’re worried about it. I’ll get with her and let her know to come and clean the Shack now. I’ll tell her about your offer. Make sure she gets something nice for herself. You pick it out. She would just pick out one thing that she thinks doesn’t cost much. Give her one of those basket things. We just bled all the fuck over everything.”

Stiles looked at Dean. 

“What?” 

“Stop bristling. You’re the most bad-ass thing on the block.”

“Damn straight.” 

“You’re Wolf to the core.”

Dean gave Stiles the eye. 

“And you take in strays.” He held up his hand before Dean could say a word. “You are more subtle than I would have ever thought YOU could be. But seriously, did you think that I was going to buy that those treatments were for you?” He moved closer. “Nope. You don’t get to talk yet. Dumbass. You could have just told me. I was having to guess on the dosage. Why do you think that I wrote out the instructions the way I did? I could have tailored it to the person if you had just come clean. You didn’t even have to bring them to me. I could have gone to them. You haven’t been back in awhile so that means the two that you were taking care of have been homed.” Stiles shifted so they were shoulder to shoulder looking at the tiny stove that Dean had lit a fire in. “You care. That makes you one of the strongest and bravest people I know. Let me help.”

Dean seemed to fold in on himself and eased down till he was sitting on the floor. “She’s a reject. There’s something not quite right about her. What just kicks my ass is that she’s young. So fucking young. She’s past puberty. She’s been on her own for… way too long. She is staying in one of the Crash Shacks that’s been damaged. I’ve fixed it up the best I can but if I do too much and go there too often she is going to freak and move. Then I will have no idea if she is warm and safe. She can shift so she at least has fur. She’s not a Wolf. Coyote? I’m not really sure. I don’t want to ask too many questions. That would draw attention she doesn’t need. She trusts me some. I got her this job and a couple of other cleaning jobs.” He stopped and slammed the back of his head against the cabinet they were resting against. There was a wet shimmer to his eyes that wasn’t caused by the pain of hitting his head. 

“Sam would help but for some reason he freaks her out. She gets really weird around him. I think that she sees things that aren’t there. Not in a wacko way but in a … she doesn’t have the tinted nails or I would think that she might be a born Black Widow. I don’t know what to do for her. I can make sure she has a warm, safe place to sleep and food to eat. I can’t help her. I don’t know how to help her. I don’t even where to go to get someone that can.” He stopped and glance over at Stiles. “If she can be helped. I’ve seen some like her traveling. They wander off. They get lost. They have to be locked up for their own good. They are prisoners. In their own mind. Of their mind and the things they see. I don’t think she’s going to get that bad. She seems stable in her own way.” 

“Okay. I can work with that. I have some ideas and I DO know where to go for help. I take it you lit the fire not just for us. Go and get her and have her start cleaning. If you really trust her then have her cut up the towels so they will all burn and use the stove. Then scatter the ashes. I will have some better ideas once you bring her to me for her basket.” 

Dean sighed deeply and put his face in his hands. He finally straightened. “Whose idea was it to sit on the damn floor? Getting up is going to be a bitch.”

They managed to lever themselves to their feet. “Come by later and I’ll give you something to soak in. Or I can send it by Sam. He is going to eventually find out anyway.” 

Dean’s look of dismay was comical. “Well shit. He’s going to lecture.” His entire body just kind of cringed. “I’d rather take another beating than to listen to him. I’ll get it later. I would just as soon put it off as long as possible.”

“Your funeral. Getting it over would probably be a better idea. He is going to be even more pissy when he finds that you kept it from him.” 

“Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut the fuck up.” 

Stiles made a zipping and locking motion over his lips. Gestured toward the door. They made it down the stairs and headed off in different directions. Neither of them was walking quickly or with any enthusiasm. It would be ass-chewing in 10-9-8…..


	24. Chapter 24

Stiles was lucky and made it down to his workroom without anyone seeing him. Anyone from the Bookstore. Ah hell, they would tattle just as soon as he got inside. Who was he trying to fool? He needed to change clothes and he kept spare clothes there. Well, he forgot clothes there. He changed and bagged up the clothes he was wearing. Burning was about the only option. They were pretty much toast anyway with all of the rips and blood. Not the kind of effect he wanted to have when he went out. Unless it was a Zombie party after one of the human movies. Those were catching on. 

He smeared some cream on and downed a couple of mixtures. It would give him some relief. All he really wanted to do was to go and find a quiet corner and have his meltdown in privacy. It wasn’t going to happen. He had to get back upstairs and deal with the rest of the day. Morgana wasn’t happy about being left all alone in the Herbal section. She didn’t have the store experience. Helping out him or her mother was different. The Humans and Others didn’t swarm when you were doing healing work. It was one at a time. Mostly. 

He was beginning to feel just a little cranky himself. Hormones be damned. It wasn’t the only reason. He hurt. And he had to climb those stupid stairs. Who put stairs in a basement anyway? Stupid idea. Up he went. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Stiles walked into a barrage. “Stiles! Where have you been? What took you so long? Where is this? Do we have more of that?” They were waving things in his face and pointing. He couldn’t see what they were pointing at because of the bottle Lydia had in his face. He couldn’t even make out the other questions that were coming from every corner of the store. Where these people that helpless? If one more person poked him he was going to rip their finger or hand off. Depending on how quick they drew back. 

“Ask Scott. He knows where most of my things are. Wait. Wait. JUST WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE. I just got here.” 

The entire store looked at Stiles. 

Stiles glared back. He took a deep breath, when over to the Special Order counter and sat in his comfortable chair. With a groan. “Okay. Let’s try this again. Look on the shelves. If it isn’t there either pick something else or put it on a list for Scott to go and get. He may not be able to do it right now. I get that. But it will be on the list and you will just have to damn well wait till he has the chance or do without. I was busy. Discussion closed. Anything else you can’t figure out for yourselves?”

“Are you feeling alright? You are kind of cranky.” 

“I’m fine.” 

“You don’t look fine. You look a little … singed.” 

“I said… I’m fine. Next question.”

“Where is Allison? You never did say why she wasn’t going to be here. This would work much better with Allison here.”

“Not today. Trust me on this.”

“But where is she and why didn’t she come to work today? I like earning money. I like to get spending money but it is much more fun and easier when Allison is here. Is she coming back tomorrow?”

One of the Humans cleared their throat.. it was an older woman. “Dear, dear… might I have a word please? Perhaps over by the human section and let the young man get his bearings?” She had shifted till she was partially blocking Lydia’s view of Stiles. 

“I am busy. I will take your money in a minute. I am asking Stiles questions he needs to answer about Allison.” 

“Yes, about that.” 

“I will find out. Stiles what is wrong with Allison. You are supposed to know these things. Do I need to ask Teyla instead?” 

“Oh dear.” The woman moved carefully away as did most of the bodies in the room.

Stiles levered himself to his feet. He leaned heavily on the counter and pinned Lydia with a burning look. His eyes were more amber than dark honey at the moment. “Allison is a girl. Her body is busying doing girl things like purging fluids from both ends. If you want to go and help her, have at it. I’m sure that you will be so much better at it since you have tits and my dick so handicaps me when it comes to things like that. It doesn’t matter that I have trained my ass off for years. It doesn’t matter than I have put up with shit that any other apprentice would have walked out on. No, because I pee standing up I’m just supposed to take it. Well guess what? I’m done. I. Am. Fucking. Done. You go deal with the mood swings, the bitchiness, the puking and purging of fluids. I will be in my workroom. Do NOT call me if you need anything. Deal with it.” Anger over-rode the pain and Stiles stalked out of the room. 

It was very… quiet. 

“Scott?”

“Yeah Cubling?”

“Is Stiles other form big?”

“Why?” 

“It needs to be very big and very fast.”

“Again Why?”

“Allison is going to be very girl-time cranky at him about announcing her girl-time. I think that she can out-bitchy him. He just gets mad. She gets…girly about it.” 

Every male in the room, every male, found themselves nodding in agreement. 

“He can out run her.” 

“That’s good.” The little boy looked around. “Do I need to go and get Chris from the back to snarl at every one that is getting paid to be here to get to work and the customers to spend money?”

Snickers started from the far side of the room and wafted across. Bodies started moving and doing what they were paid to do. Customers started customering. 

Alex nodded in satisfaction and went back to his station. 

Brigid looked at Scott. “I’m not sure if I should be proud of him or appalled.”

“He’s a very good honorary Wolfgard.” 

“He just threatened an entire store with Chris.”

“Your point?” 

“Never mind. I’m one of the paid ones. Let me earn my shopping money.” Brigid just sighed. Brandy. Chocolate. Earthday. None of them would arrive too soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris almost walked into the front of the Bookstore but something had him stopping just out of sight. 

His stomach churned and a sick feeling of dread oozed over his body. Stiles had evidently had a rough time of destroying the bag that Sam had found. That worried him because between Stiles and Dean there was a great deal of power, experience and just plain vicious stubbornness. 

He listened to the words. Allison wasn’t the only one that had been poisoned by the Coven. He had never heard that kind of anger and resentment out of Stiles. It wasn’t a surface anger. It had been festering for years. This was probably only the tip of it. Maybe it was a good thing that what ever happened to drain Stiles of some of his power before Lydia lit the fuse on Stiles’ temper. He didn’t have much power left to burn. Since he liked his store in standing mode…he appreciated that. 

He would have to make the time to talk to Stiles and Dean about what happened when they took off. He would imagine Sam was going to be in on that conversation. If Stiles was sounding rough, Dean wouldn’t be any better. He would have been right in the middle of it or more typical right in front of it when the situation blew up. 

They were a great deal alike. Underneath. Dean had more gruff and bluster. Stiles was a mouthy little shit. They could be obnoxious and make a person want to lunge for their throats. There were days when they best way to spend time with them were if they were unconscious. 

They were loyal. The kind of loyal that went beyond reason. They came charging in when the rest of the world ran away. Those they loved.. They would do and give every and anything to keep them safe. If they couldn’t. They would go down fighting. When they couldn’t stand anymore. They were the kind that would crawl forward into hell if that was where their loved ones were. 

He had no idea HOW he knew that about them. He just knew it was true. He hoped that it would be true of him as well. When the Darkest Hour fell. Where would he stand?

Chris leaned against the wall. He was afraid. Not much scared him anymore. He had been through so much in his life. Things were happening. Things that he didn’t understand and couldn’t predict. Things that were out of his control, if he had ever had any to begin with. Were they pawns between two cosmic forces? Did either side really give a shit about their little lives? Would they survive? Would it be worth the price they would have to pay? What price was he willing to pay? For his daughter. Death was almost easy. You were done. It was living with the choices made sometimes. It was a different form of dying. Who you were… that person didn’t exist anymore… not after you went to war. 

“Do I need to go and get Chris from the back to snarl at every one that is getting paid to be here to get to work and the customers to spend money?”

Alex’s question had him choking back laughter. At least someone had some sort of perspective. 

He straightened up and headed into the store itself. Questions, qualms and meltdowns would just have to wait. He had a store to run and customers to part with their money..willingly part. Brigid was always adding that word in there for some reason.


	25. Chapter 25

They only had a couple of hours till the store closed. Chris was curious. Alex had been diligently working on something every chance he could take. It was interesting to see someone so young shift back and forth between projects. He was intense. Whatever it was that he was doing was very important to him. 

He had surprised Chris. He had approached an older human woman. He had her write some words in the project he was doing. It looked like it was one of his ‘books’. He had gone to several people showing them a pen that he wanted to use. There were several people that just looked blankly at him. The older woman had said something and Alex had gone over to her. They sat at one of the small reading tables near the front of the store. 

There was a surprising amount of planning going on. Alex had something that he wanted and it was more than just writing the words. He had already drawn the pictures on the paper. The writing had to fit and it was evidently not working the way that Alex wanted. 

The woman patted his back and left. She came back a short time later with a bag of things. 

This was really making Chris curious now. 

She had her own fancy pen. They put the words on the not-quite-clear paper. Those pages were inserted into the book. She punched holes along the spine. She sewed the book with fancy sewing. It definitely impressed Alex. He gave her a big hug and kiss for being his helper. She gave him a bag made out of some see-throughish material. There was a ribbon at the top to keep the book in the bag. Alex was thrilled. She got several hugs as he petted his book in a bag. He took off and put the project in his work area. 

Chris thought that it would probably come out after the store closed for the evening. There was no way that Alex could keep something like that to himself. 

A yip from Sam got everyone’s attention. He sheepishly howled. He had gotten used to Allison pulling his tail to let him know to sound the fifteen minute warning before closing. As one, the people in the store looked at the clock. It was two minutes till closing. They swung back to look at Sam only to find he was in the area under his security spot. Curled up with his tail over his nose. 

As if that wasn’t disruptive enough, Peter came strolling back in the front door. He leaned against Sam’s post. “Should I get you an alarm clock and have someone set the howl time for you? Just in case Allison doesn’t come to work tomorrow either and you have to keep track of the time for yourself? I’d be happy to. Really.” 

There was a low, rumbling growl from under the security post. 

Alex trotted over to Peter “I have your Thank You but the people have to leave before I can give it to you. I still have to work till they are all out of the store.” 

Peter’s expression was…interesting. “You have something for me?”

Alex could express ‘duh’ without saying a word.

A smile crept over Peter’s face. He looked up and around the store. “And these people need to have completed their business and leave before I can get it?” 

“Willingly. Momma is really big on the willing give money thing.” 

“I am sure that they will willingly part with their funds. Better that than something else.” 

There was a flurry of action. There were a number of people that just left. Showing their packages that they had already spent money. There were several that put their name on a piece of paper, left money and the books or products and told Brigid that they would pick them up in the morning. It was past time for them to leave and they had other errands. That they had to do. Right now.

Peter nodded approvingly. 

Alex watched people scurry around with an expression of confusion. He looked at them. He looked up at Peter. “Huh. You ARE almost as scary as a girl.” He walked off and left Peter with an expression that was just about equal parts offended and amused. Amusement won out. The store was emptied out in record time. 

Alex quickly finished cleaning up his area and putting his things away. He picked up his present and trotted back over to Peter. Almost there he tripped. He didn’t always pick up his left foot when he was tired. He would drop things as well with his left hand. 

Peter moved fast. 

Alex let out a little squeak as he found himself caught and lifted into Peter’s arms. 

They looked at each other a bit surprised and wide-eyed. Alex jerked slightly. “Oh no! Did we break your present?” He looked at the bag he was clutching. 

Peter had lifted Alex high up against his chest automatically. The bag was between his face and Alex's and very close. “I see with my eye not my nose.” 

Alex looked at him in bewilderment. “What?” He looked at the bag and then at Peter’s nose. “Oh. You’re being silly like Momma. She says things like that sometimes.” 

Peter gave Alex a look. It was more at the top of the boy’s head than anything else. Alex was carefully examining the book. 

“Sit down in the reading chair. I’m finished. I can read it to you.” 

“I can read.” 

“Yes but I need to read the pictures to you. That way you don’t have to admit you can’t figure out what it is. I will be glad when I’m older and can draw things people can figure out without my help. ‘That’s nice dear, tell me about it.’ Like I don’t know they don’t have a freaking clue what it is?!”

“Freaking. Clue?”

Alex looked up at Peter. A so serious expression on his face. “The clue bus seems to miss some people on a regular basis.” 

Peter actually seemed speechless for a couple of seconds. “You heard this where and from whom?”

Alex looked wary. For the first times since they had met. “That was your Mommy voice.” 

“My what? No. You don’t have to repeat it. I heard you the first time. Mommy voice? Has it escaped your notice that I’m male? I don’t have a Mommy voice. If anything it would be Father.” 

“Father’s are assholes.” 

Peter nailed Brigid with a look. From the horrified expression on her face, it hadn’t come from her. She would be channeling her Mommy voice on someone though. “Alexander. What did I say about what came out of Stiles’ mouth?”

“You’ve said a lot of things about Stiles and his mouth. Which time in particular?”

“We will discuss it later.” 

Alex sighed. Deeply. He wrapped the arm not holding the book around Peter’s neck and laid his head on the broad, muscular shoulder. “It’s not a discussion if both people don’t get to talk. It is a dia.. dia… diarrhea.” 

Peter’s mouth actually dropped. “A. What?” His voice could still get high while it stayed soft. 

“Running off at the mouth. I think that was the one for running off at the butt though.” 

“Diatribe. He means diatribe.” Chris spoke up. “Word of the day calendar.” 

“I think now would be a very good time to go sit in the corner and for you to tell me about the book.” Peter headed for an out of the way chair. 

They could hear Alex’s sleepy mumble. “You know your way to the corner real good. You get sent there a lot?”

“Probably not as much as I should be.” 

“Oh. Okay. I’m tired. If you come back tomorrow, I’ll read the book to you then. I can tell you about boy behaving too. And how to save up to behave around females so they won’t be so bitchy.” 

Peter hesitated slightly on his way down. He settled Alex against him and moved his coat around the boy slightly. “Definitely worth coming back for.” 

“ ‘K . I’m going to close my eyes now. They are tired. I’m not going to go to sleep.” 

“Right. Got that.” 

Alex snuggled in. 

Peter sighed, shook his head and got comfortable. He looked over at Chris. “Along with my thank you, Chris can do story time tonight. This promises to be an… interesting and unusual one.” 

Chris just raised both hands and walked away to finish shutting down the store.


	26. Chapter 26

Peter and Chris were sitting on the stairs leading to the upper part of the Bookstore. 

Everyone else had settled for the night. Stiles had gone back to his apartment and Allison was staying with Morgana. Lylith would be there to keep an eye on her. Lydia had decided that a sleep over was in order. 

Where they were sleeping for the night was the only thing that was settled. 

“I’m listening.” 

Chris shifted forward and put his face in his hands. “Kate or Victoria. They put something under Allison’s mattress and other things around her bed. I have the mattress and box springs shoved in a shed till we can deal with purifying them or just burn them like we did the wooden frame. It had … runes carved on the inside of the headboard and footboard. Sam was sure that it would be fine to burn the frame. He turned the bag over to Stiles. Stiles and Dean took care of it.” 

He stopped and rubbed his face and head. “Mother Night. Mother Night. Why?” 

Peter moved closer and put his arm around Chris and pulled him closer. 

“I have watchers. If either of them are back, no one has seen them. I don’t think that either of them are good enough to evade the eyes that I have on them.” 

“Good. That’s…good.” 

“No it isn’t. It should never had to be done. But that is where we are now. I ask you again to let me deal with them.” 

Chris was silent. Torn. 

“It doesn’t make you weak. It isn’t something that you should ever be asked to do. If they had stepped outside of your Code your family or pack would deal with them. The family and pack are tainted. You don’t know who has been contaminated by what is going on. We don’t even fully understand what IS going on. Other than they are using Allison. And don’t care what happens to her as a result of their using. Just like Kate was going to use Derek. Do you agree to step aside now?” 

Chris raised his head and looked at Peter. There was such pain in his face. His eyes shimmered with tears that gathered and fell. “Kate is my sister. Victoria is my wife. Allison’s mother.” 

“They were. For them to take part in such a thing they are already dead.” 

Chris closed his eyes. He took a deep shuddering breath. “Alright. I won’t stand between you and them anymore. I can’t. I can’t. I have to protect Allison. I have to protect my child. Do what you think needs to be done. I won’t fight you anymore.” 

Peter pulled him into an embrace. “Just rest for awhile then. I’ll keep watch. I’ll handle doing what needs to be. I can keep watch tonight. Go to sleep.” He got Chris to his feet and urged him into the Bookstore. There was a daybed in one of the back rooms. Chris had crashed there before he had readied the upstairs apartments. He could rest there tonight. Peter settled him as well then picked his spot. He would watch. And plan. He had questions but they could wait. He had enough information to make his decisions for the most part. People were going to die. They had threatened what he considered his for the last time. 

The final price would be paid.


	27. Chapter 27

Mouse was sitting outside of the battered Crash Shack she stayed in from time to time. She was curled up in a chair with a good sized pack beside her. She looked up when Dean carefully approached. 

“Dean comes to Mousie. Mousie will have a new housie.” 

“Oh fuck me now.” 

“Will be a trick. Mouse not have a dick.” 

Dean looked at the young girl with a sigh. She was rhyming. “I need you to clean for me. Bring your pack since you have it out.” 

“Sam will find. Will not be kind.” 

“I don’t imagine he will be.” 

She stood up and picked up the heavy pack. It looked like it had most if not all her worldly possessions. She had never done that before. 

He led the way to the Shack that he and Stiles had used. Trying to think of what to do. What to tell her. 

“Mouse know what to do. Know better than you.” 

Dean gave her a look out of the side of his eye. She smiled sweetly at him. She was almost skipping as she led the way to the Shack. She was leading the way. Dean didn’t even want to think about that right now. Maybe she did know more than he did. She heard things. No one paid her much attention. It wouldn’t surprise him how much she took in. 

Mouse opened the door and helped Dean inside. “Oh, oh, oh. All red; all red. Dean and no-name boy bled and bled.” 

He sat in a chair and watched her tuck her pack away and take off her top layer. She got out the cleaning supplies and started cleaning. She found a pair of scissors in the Healer Kit and cut up the towels they had bled on. She tucked them into the stove a piece at a time. She made sure all of the piece of towel was burned before she stuck another in. 

Somewhere along the way Dean fell asleep. As he was drifting off listening to her rustle around her words came back to him. “No-name boy” She knew he hadn’t been alone. Did she know it was Stiles and why did she call him that? Even if he asked her he wasn’t sure she could answer or that he would understand it even if she did. 

~~~~~~~~~~

A gentle hand patted his knee. Dean opened his eyes to see Mouse hovering close. Looking at him sadly. “Someone has tittle-tattled. Samuel windows will rattle.” She petted his knee and went back to work as far away from him as she could get. The door was yanked open. “Where the fuck have you been and why didn’t you come and get me to help?!” Sam was pissed. 

Mouse took one look at him and moved into the bathroom and shut the door. 

“Don’t upset Mouse.” 

“Don’t upset Mouse? Seriously? Don’t upset Mouse is all you have to say?” 

Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I feel like shit. Stiles and I almost managed to get ourselves killed. If you want to bitch and scream do it outside, I’m not listening. When you get it out of your system, let me know. I’ll tell you what I figured out and you can start using that big brain of yours to figure out what the fuck we do about it. Till them I’m going to just sit here and hurt.” 

Sam held something out to him. “Stiles sent this. Drink it all. He said it would help.” 

Dean took the bottle and upended it. It tasted horrible. That probably meant that it would work very well. 

“You can come out of the bathroom now Mouse. Sam is finished.” 

“A tisket-a-tasket, Mousie want her basket.” 

“What the fuck? What is she talking about?” Sam looked at Dean. 

Dean looked at the door that was opening slightly. “What basket Mouse?”

“Mousie clean. Make things gleam. A tisket-a-tasket Mousie get a basket.” 

“Who told you that Mouse?” 

She looked at him confused. 

“Yes Mouse. You get a basket for cleaning. Where do we go to get the basket?” 

“No-name boy. Fill with joy.” 

Sam looked at Dean. “You actually understanding any of this?” 

“Finish cleaning Mouse. Then we will go to no-name boy and get your basket of joy.” 

Sam just shook his head and sat on the floor. “This I’ve got to see. Mainly because I have no idea what is going on.” 

“Wake me up when she’s done. I am going to pass out and let the horse-piss work.” 

Sam snorted. “Fine. We can talk about it when we get home. We will talk about it.” 

“I’d rather talk about it there. No ears but ours.” 

Sam looked toward the bathroom. 

“I don’t mean her.” 

“Okay.” Sam thought that over. He didn’t like any of the possible reasons he could think of for why Dean would prefer to discuss what happened behind their wards. He didn’t like it at all. He watched Mouse clean as he thought. That was one strange female. Even stranger when she started speaking in rhyme. Like seriously fucking creepy. And she didn’t even come up to the middle of his chest. She was singing under her breath. “A tisket-a-tasket. Mousie get a basket. No-name boy. Fill with joy. A tisket-a-tasket. Mousie get a basket.”

It wasn’t that cold outside. He would just wait out there.


	28. Chapter 28

Stiles woke up to Scott watching him sleep. 

“Do you have any idea how creepy it is that you do that?” 

“What channel my inner stalker?”

Stiles gave Scott a look. He shook his head then his body. “Okay. Better. I feel better. Now I need food.” He went to lever himself out of the bed. 

“Covered.” Scott pointed to a carry bag that his mother had sent up for Stiles. 

Stiles took a deep breath. “Oh hell yeah.” He limped over to the table that Scott had put the bag on and opened it up. He didn’t even bother to sit. He just pulled something out and started eating. He slowed down slightly when he took the edge off. He pulled out something to drink and finished most of that off in one go. He put the carry bottle on the table and looked over to ask Scott if he wanted something. There was more than enough. The words died in his throat. 

Scott looked calmly at Stiles. “Sam knew where Dean told you to meet him.” 

“Oh shit.” 

“I’m sure you did. I saw the cave. What was left of it.” 

“I…can… I. Can explain.”

“Really? I’d love to hear it. How you thought you and Dean could handle it. Even though Sam told me that he expressly, I love his word choice, expressly told Dean to wait. He didn’t recognize some of the workings in and on the bag. He didn’t think that it was typical Coven. It was a kind of a working that he didn’t recognize and since his family specializes in weird shit that’s kind of saying something. Isn’t it Stiles?”

“Well. You see…”

Scott got up and moved toward Stiles. “Yes Stiles. Make me see. Because right now I don’t. I don’t see and I don’t understand. And I’m certainly not happy about you and Dean deciding to go ahead and trying to handle something you didn’t have all the facts on. Something that could and should have been contained. Something that could have killed not only the two of you but Allison and who knows who else. Did you ever think about that? Were you that sure you were far enough away? Did you know for sure without a shadow of a doubt how it would react when you purified? I don’t think so.”

“Scott.”

“NO. No. You don’t get to Scott I’m the Black Widow me. You were freaked when Allison mentioned what it felt like inside her head. You were doubtful when instead of choosing to Purify she chose Serenity. It didn’t want to be purified. The best you could do was pacify. And yet you trot your little ass into that cave thinking that if nothing else you would throw power and Craft at it. That should work. You are powerful. You are damn powerful. But you are NOT the baddest thing around Stiles. Not by far. There are still things out there that can chew you up, spit you out and use your bones for toothpicks. Go ahead and tell me how you knew what you were doing and you had it all under control.” Scott was now nose to nose with Stiles. “And I’ll call you a liar to your face.”

Stiles took a deep breath. “You’re right. We fucked up. We got lucky that we lived through it. I didn’t think we would. We need help.” He hoped that would pull Scott away from the killing edge. He had never seen him so furious. So coldly furious. It was just not his day. He should have called into work with a sucky boy day and just taken a pass. 

“Fine. You consult whoever you should have talked to in the first place. Sam is going to do some research as well. Then we will make a plan. ALL of us. Do you have a problem with that?” 

“Uh.No. Not at all. Sounds like a great idea. I’m going to go and take a shower. I think that it would help. I’ll put more PainEase on and uh. Just chill out. You don’t have to stay.” The glare was icy. “I’m not saying leave. I’m just saying if you have something you want to do I’ll just be here. In my room. Doing nothing. My empty room. Where did Allison go?” He looked around room like he expected her to pop out from somewhere. It would be par for his day. 

Scott rolled his eyes. “Morgana took her. She and Lylith picked up a couple of things to take with them since she was feeling better but still not all that great. She is going to spend a couple of days with them. Since Chris mentioned she doesn’t have a bed anymore. That will be taken care of on Earthday.” 

“Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that.” 

“Really? I wonder why?”

Stiles gave him a smile that was more of a grimace and moved toward the bathroom. Scott followed. Stiles decided not to mention it. 

“Peter came back.”

“Huh? Why?”

“For his thank you.”

“Oh crap.”

“Not really. Alex made him something. Which reminds me that you need to stay out of Brigid’s sight as much as possible or just make sure that there are other people around.”

“Why? What did I do?”

“It would be the comment from little with the emphasis on little Alexander and yes we are using his entire name. I quote… I will be glad when I’m older and can draw things people can figure out without my help. ‘That’s nice dear, tell me about it.’ Like I don’t know they don’t have a freaking clue what it is?!”

Stiles was silent. In a small voice he asked “Is she going to cut me any slack that he said freaking instead of fucking?”

“What do YOU think?” 

“I am so screwed.”

“Not too badly. She will just have you sit in the corner with Peter.”

Stiles turned around and looked at Scott. “Run that by me again. I thought you just said sit in the corner with Peter.” 

“I did. You missed that conversation too. Oh and yes there was the bit about Peter having a Mommy voice that he used on Alex and him pointing out he was male. It should be father which got the response of…. Wait for it… Father’s are assholes.

I think it was a universal favorite when the next little volley of verbal entertainment launched.  
Pete: “I think now would be a very good time to go sit in the corner and for you to tell me about the book.”  
Alex: “You know your way to the corner real good. You get sent there a lot?”  
Peter: “Probably not as much as I should be.

Stiles’ jaw dropped and his mouth stayed open for several seconds. He shook his head. Shook it again. “That just broke my brain.” 

Scott smirked. He really hoped someone had one of those smartass phones and recorded the event. It was priceless. Completely and utterly without price. He could almost see why Chris had been friends with Peter for so long despite all of the opposition. He could be almost… likable. In a Peterish way. 

That rather broke his brain.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hotel Transilvania.... and I probably misspelled that . I laughed when that popped into my head till I cried.
> 
> Asked Hubby if he could sketch it for me. He promised to try. Then I just need to figure out how to insert a picture. :)

Brigid was tucking Alex into bed. “Are you mad at me?”

“No. You could be… more selective in what you repeat from the other males. But that isn’t exactly your fault. No I’m not mad at you. I love you and I’ll always be proud of you.” 

“I think I like Peter. He’s funny.” 

“I’m glad you think so. It’s always good to have friends. Good night. You need to go to sleep. We will need to be up early in the morning. Hopefully Allison will be back and things will go smoother.”

“I hope so. I just hope she doesn’t bring her sucky girl-time cranky with her.” 

Brigid just looked at him. 

“Sorry. No girl time comments. No comments on girls. Good night. I’m going to sleep now.” He pulled the covers over his head and curled up. She levered herself up off of the floor. Glad she wasn’t all that tall. Alex had fallen in love with the loft storage area that spanned the area over the bathroom and kitchen. 

There had been a full sized bed and a twin bed that had been in the apartment. Along with a very comfortable couch. Stiles and Scott had taken the twin bed apart and shoved the mattress and box-springs up the ladder like staircase. She had been glad she hadn’t been around for that. The ceiling of the room was sharply sloped and there were only a couple of places that an adult could stand upright. An adult male. She had taken one look at what needed to happen and left. They had to get the mattress up on the loft through narrow opening. Up the wanna-be ladder. It was not going to be pretty. 

She had been gone for several hours. When she had returned, it was all in place. She never asked how they managed. She didn’t want to know. If she didn’t know she had no real reason to be upset. It had been more than Scott and Stiles when she had left. It had expanded to include Dean, Sam and to her surprise Chris. There had been no blood. That she had seen. That was good enough in her book. 

Alex had wanted his bed in the back corner where the ceiling met the floor. It gave him the most space. There were shelves scattered around that ranged in height depending on where they were stuck. It seemed rather random. But Alex loved it. 

Brigid shook her head and went carefully down the odd cousin-to-a-ladder steps to have a drink of one of the teas Stiles had made for her for night time. She worried about Alex on those odd steps but the handrail was secure. The floor to ceiling railing that set the loft apart had been checked out by every male and had been approved. 

She had caught Sam hanging from it. She had looked, turned around and walked back out the door. It hadn’t gotten any better. She had passed by a few minutes later to see if she needed to rescue her son. He was busy. He was counting. Pull-ups that they were doing from the loft railing. It was… shirtless. In skin. Lots of rippling skin and muscles.. she had decided she needed something cold to drink. 

She snickered into her hot tea. She was sitting near the small stove sipping her drink. She heard a soft tapping on the door. She got up with a groan. She just felt old today. 

Melissa was standing in the doorway with a plate. Brigid waved her in. 

“I’m trying something new. You are my tester before I put it in the Café.”

“You got off work and came home and baked?”

“It calms my nerves.”

“Oh.”

“Allison will be back tomorrow so it should go…better.” 

“There are a number of things that I want to say but I don’t want to bring bad karma. So. Great. Yeah. It will be a much better day. Much more…boring. I really would like a boring day.” 

“Peter will be back. There is no way it will boring when he is here.”

“Who is he?” 

“Peter?”

“Yes, Peter.” 

“Peter is….Peter.” 

Brigid took the wrapping of the plate and picked up one of the scones. She nibbled. “This is good. It goes great with the tea. It’s kind of soothing.” 

“That was kind of the idea.” 

“So. Can you do any better than Peter is Peter?”

“He’s Sanguinati.” 

“And that is?”

“Humans have called them vampires. We refer to them as Sanguinati.” 

Brigid looked at her in disbelief. “But. Wait. No. Oh hell. I have seen Sam change from wolf to human. Or not human but skin. I get that there is a difference. So considering that little fact, I guess it isn’t too far-fetched that there are people that drink blood. Wait, does he change into a bat?”

“What?”

“Peter does he change into a bat? Is that what Scott is snickering about when he looks at their bat origami?”

“Smoke. They shift to smoke to travel sometimes. I don’t know and I’m not asking if he can change into a bat like the movie.”

“Is he the only Sanguinati? I mean that sounded so dumb. I know he’s not the only one but he’s the only one that comes into the Bookstore?”

“The rest of them tend to just order so they don’t have to deal with humans. The Hales were behind the movement to open the Courtyard to humans. Which is ironic since I doubt that they deal with humans anymore than they did before.” 

“Is he married?”

Melissa looked at her in stunned disbelief. 

“Oh no. Very much no. I was just thinking that … I was wondering what kind of woman would marry him and what kind he would marry. He didn’t seem very… But he was good with Alex. Really good. I wondered if he had children of his own.” 

“The Hales do have children. I don’t know them all that well to tell you much about them.” 

Brigid started snickering.

Melissa looked concerned. “Are you feeling well? What is in the tea?”

“No. I was thinking of a movie. A human movie. The daddy vampire was teaching his daughter to fly. He had her wear a little bat helmet so when she flew into things she didn’t hurt herself. Much.” 

Melissa opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She looked at Brigid. Then she started snickering. Then snorting. Both hands came up to muffle the giggles. It was contagious. 

They snuck out of the apartment so they wouldn't wake Alex and down the hallway giggling madly. They collapsed outside Stiles’ door. Which opened to reveal two very confused boys. “Wanna share?”

“Bat. Helmet. Flying lessons.” 

“I can’t even began to express how helpful that was…..not.” Stiles looked at them. “Did you put something in the tea?”

Brigid got the giggles under semi-control. “Movie. Dracula had a daughter. He gave her flying lessons but he was over-protective. He had her wear a little bat helmet so when she ran into things it didn’t hurt so bad. Peter. Flying lessons.” 

Stiles jaw dropped and his face worked. “Oh. My. Mother. Night.” He looked at her and then slowly slid down the door jam. He was making the oddest sounds. They could tell he was visualizing. No telling what considering the way his mind worked. But it was evidently hysterical. His giggles started. They looked at Scott. 

He had the most comical look of dismay on his face. “Fuuuuuck. I’ll never get that out of my brain now.” A slow grin came over his face and he looked at Stiles. He said two words that sent them both to the floor crying with laughter. “Derek. Helmet.” 

It was over. Melissa and Brigid left them to it. They had managed to get themselves under control. It wouldn’t happen for the boys anytime soon. 

She and Melissa headed back to her apartment

Brigid had never met Derek but evidently the visual of him in bat form flying around wearing a little helmet was….  
.


	30. Chapter 30

Stiles came down first with Scott. Alex, Brigid and Melissa were at the top of the stairs about to head down. There was an entry area at the back. The doors to the shops were locked but the small room was left open so employees could come in and get out of the weather or things could be left. 

Dean was sitting on the floor on one side. There was a tiny female sitting by him. Close enough to take advantage of the warmth he generated. She was humming softly to herself.

Sam was as far away as he could possibly be and looked like he was considering waiting outside. Before he could ask what was going on, the door opened and Allison, Morgana and Lydia walked in. 

Stiles could feel the others behind him on the stairs. The room wasn’t meant to hold this many people. 

“I’ll just get the door open. If a few bodies would move and we can take this meeting inside.” Melissa nudged Stiles. 

She opened the door and the people filed inside to the Café. 

She looked at Dean. “I don’t believe I’ve met your friend.” 

“A tisket-a-tasket. Mousie get a basket. No-name boy. Fill with joy. A tisket-a-tasket. Mousie get a basket.” It was sung in a light soprano and creepy as hell. 

The girls shifted back slightly. Sam shivered. Stiles and Scott’s eyes got very big. Alex looked at his mother for explanation and Brigid looked at him as confused as anyone else.   
They glanced at each other then as one all looked at Melissa…nominated to deal with the weird. 

“Oh. Well.” She was drawing a blank. She looked at Dean. 

He smiled with teeth. “Mousie cleaned. Made gleam. Mousie gets a basket.” He looked at Stiles “No-name boy; fill with joy.” 

“Right. I’ll … I’ll get right on that. Sorry. Forgot last night.” He looked around like a basket would magically appear. 

“I think they’re downstairs. I’ll go look.” Scott volunteered. 

Chris came in behind the rest of them. “Would any of you like to come to work today?”

They turned to look at him. 

“Mousie clean. Make things gleam.” The blonde girl looked at him cautiously. “Creep, creep little mouse. No one in the house.” 

Chris looked at her with a pained expression. 

“Mouse only cleans places after everyone has gone.” Dean looked at Chris with a helpless shrug. 

“That. Makes sense. I’ll get back to you on that. The rest of you. In.”

Dean gently touched Mouse’s shoulder. “Stiles needs to get ready. He won’t forget your basket. The two of you can pick out some things when he goes to lunch.”

“What? Oh. Wait. Dean. You should come with us. Yes. You should definitely come with us.” Stiles’ face contorted as he tried not to show his panic. 

Sam snorted. 

Dean looked at him. “And who was it that spent the night outside in fur?”

Sam glared at him and walked into the other room to take off his clothes and change into fur. 

Dean looked at the girl. “We will come back later. We will get your basket of joy.” He frowned at her she was still carrying that pack around. “Mousie have a new housie?” 

She smiled and held her finger to her lips. She started walking out of the room. She paused at the doorway and gave him a look. He startled and began to follow her. She paused and looked at Stiles. “The crooked letters still bide. Look again and see them hide.”

His jaw dropped. “What the fuck?”

“No-name boy use other sight. Turn it all right.” 

He looked at Dean. Who looked back at him with a shrug. 

Stiles moved closer. She was small and fragile looking. “I’m no-name boy? I have a name. It’s Stiles.” 

She shook her head. “Shadows danced. They hid. Webs were spun long ago. Rubies on black webs hold the line. All will be known in time.” Her voice had gotten softer and the look in her eyes was distant. She blinked and looked at Stiles. “You know what to do. Use sight that is true.” She picked up her pack again and walked out of the room. 

“And damn if that wasn’t creepy.” 

Chris cleared his throat. “Creep out later. Work now.” 

“That’s your solution for most everything isn’t it?”

“Works for me.”

Stiles glared at Dean. “You and I are definitely going to talk tonight.”

Dean just sighed. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get in line. I need to go and see where Mouse has decided her new house is.” He walked out the door. 

“Okay. Well. Wonderful way to start a morning. So. Good for my nerves.”

Stiles threw up his hands in exasperation and walked over to the Special Order desk. Everyone else quietly took their places. 

He was polite but rather distant the rest of the morning Mousies name for him stirred up old and new emotions. He carried the last name of Stilenski. The timing of his parents meeting then marrying had always struck him as a bit odd. There were other bits and pieces that puzzled him as he looked at the few pictures that he had of his family. There were things that didn’t add up. Not to things being as he had always assumed. Assumed. No one had ever told him anything. 

The customers were puzzled. No one really commented and they didn’t complain. They got what they came for and left. Or drifted next door to watch and wait depending on their natures. The whisperings and rumors of what happened yesterday made for good watching. Allison the Scary. Stiles and Dean instead of his usual partner of Scott poking at danger. Dean without his usual partner of Sam. Hunters of the seen and unseen. They were an interesting group and that made for things happening. Interesting was good. As long as it didn’t happen to them. 

Dean came back in with the girl around lunch time. 

Stiles picked up something that he had drawn on a piece of paper. He showed it to her. “Crooked letter?”

She looked at what he had drawn. She nodded. 

“I need to use true sight to find the crooked letters that are hiding.”

She nodded at him sadly. 

“Thank you. Let’s go downstairs and get your basket of joy.” He held out his hand to her. She took it. Surprising a number of people. “Morgana. Deal.” They walked out of the room with Dean trailing behind. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the full hour later before Stiles returned. Dean was behind him. In fur. Stiles had a small basket which he handed to Morgana. “For dealing.” 

Dean got up on Sam’s Security Spot and shoved his head under Sam’s. He was whimpering softly. 

“Don’t be such a baby. I told you I was going to open it. You agreed. I would have never done it if you hadn’t agreed. You said it was one of the best ways to handle it. She was happy. They were happy. I don’t see what you are in meltdown mode about.” Stiles was glaring at Dean’s back. “What ever!”

He turned to the customers and smiled. They stepped back slightly. “Okay. No smiling then. Is there anything that I can help you with?” He got wide-eyed looks in return. “Huh. Okay then. I’ll just look and see what orders and requests I need to fill then.” 

Morgana, Lydia and Allison eased from behind the counter and found another place to be. 

Alex took something over to Stiles for him to sniff. “This doesn’t have a label. I don’t know what it is. It doesn’t look my other jars. Is it supposed to be on my table?” He held the jar out to Stiles then pulled the jar back. “Stiles?”

“Yep?”

“Did you know that your eyes are glowing?”

“Really. Huh.”

“Stiles?”

“What Cubling?”

“You will tell me if we are having an ohfuckrun moment? Right?”

Stiles stopped and sat on the floor. He held his arms out to Alex. It was rather surprising that Alex looked only slightly doubtful before he took Stiles’ hand and sat in his lap. “We are having a cuddle moment. I was talking to one of my special friends. She opens up this neat doorway kinda thing. Dean screamed like a little girl. It was cool. But anyway the energy from the doorway makes my eyes glow for a little while. It’ll go away.” 

“No more girl comments. They are getting snitty about it. I want to grow up enough to have my nuts drop and I’m sure you would like to keep yours. So no more girl comments.”   
“Good point.” Stiles rocked Alex and hummed an odd tune. 

“Where is Mouse? I kinda expected her to want to show off her new basket.” 

“She went to her new house. She will be staying with my friend for a few months. She might come back after that or she might not. Not to stay. I’m sure she will come to visit from time to time.” 

“Okay.”

“Stiles?” 

“Yep?”

“I didn’t hear a car.” 

“No.” 

“How did she leave to go and stay with your friend?”

“Through the doorway.” 

“Dean isn’t going to be speaking to you anytime soon is he?”

“Probably not.”

“Did you have to make the black flames?”

“Nope.”

“Good those scared the piss out of me when they decided to ‘taste’ me. I’m just glad they didn’t bite. Let’s not do that again.” 

“Your momma is going to fuss. Probably should just say it scared you.”

Alex leaned back. “Stiles, Scott and I both took another shower when we left. And did laundry.”

“Oh. Oh. Damn. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just don’t do it again. Not unless you really, really have to. Scott was right. I really should have peed before we started.” 

“We’re good.”

“I need to get back to work. You need to get back to work and the customers need to willingly part with money.” Alex gave him a big hug and a kiss and then went back to his section. 

Stiles got to his feet and went back to planning what needed to be brought up. 

Morgana and Lydia looked at each other and found something to do just a little further away. Allison just looked confused. She shook her head and followed along behind the other girls. 

It was just going to be one of those days…again.


	31. Chapter 31

“One of those days!” 

Lylith had said it, heard it and lived it. One of those days was turning into one of those weeks. She thought her day had sucked till she met up with Teyla at the Market. She was a Bodywalker/Healer. She had a great deal of experience with bodies. Teyla was a Black Widow from a foreign land. 

She was a cool, competent, capable woman. She would have a plan for the bodies and Lydia would be more than willing to help her out. 

Lylith’s vocation included people. She sighed about that. If she got rid of the ones that truly irritated her, her client base would be… much smaller. 

Teyla was trying to do some shopping. Pricilla and Brittanie were hovering like flies. Really annoying flies. Gabby, oh Mother Night was that nick-name ever correct, was filling Teyla in on what had happened at the Bookstore lately. When she told about the “doorway that Mousie went through” and Stiles glowing eyes, it was like she had pitched fresh meat in front of ravening dogs. 

Lylith followed along as the two Coven bitches, er witches, practically snatched Teyla up and hustled her back to the Herb Store. 

The shut and locked the door but didn’t notice Lylith in the shadows. 

“Doorway? What did she mean doorway? Was she talking about a portal?”

“Gabby talks. Most know this already and listen much less than Gabby talks.” 

“I doubt that she would lie about something like that. People have been complimenting you on Stiles’ training today. This is the first time I see why they are complimenting you. He seems to have power. Real power that you haven’t mentioned to the Coven. We had no idea that he could be useful for more than herbals and tinctures. We knew he had some Craft. The extent of his Craft was NOT clarified. You were remiss in your duties.” 

“I have been remiss in nothing. All of my apprentice’s training has been reported to the proper authorities in the correct manner. If it was over-looked or dismissed despite my suggestions to pay attention to him then the deficit is not mine. Numerous members of the Coven have met and interacted with Stiles. Have none of them realized his potential until now? Or have they just not bothered to look past his gender? Stiles is a credit to his caste.”

“And you need to be a credit to yours and to the Coven. You need to question him about the “doorway” that would be very useful to the Coven. They were not gone long and the girl didn’t think that they left the building. The situation needs to be rectified. We need those abilities and knowledge for the Coven’s advancement.” 

“That is unfortunate. The Coven has never dealt well with Stiles. I doubt that he will be anxious to return to their welcoming folds now.” 

“Return to the fold? What do you mean?”

“His employment with the Herb Store was terminated. I quote ‘I will not work with him. He has no place at the Herb Store. He is not of our kind.’ On the advice of the Coven, I have relinquished my place as his mentor due to various concerns. He has now found another place where he seems to be accepted. What does the Coven have to offer him?”

“That is immaterial. He has a duty to the Coven. He took Service with us. We can pull him back.”

“I see.” 

“Will you assist us in this?”

“No.” 

“No. what do you mean no?”

Teyla raised a brow in such a way that the woman’s intelligence, heritage and abilities were cast in doubt of being more than marginal. Very impressive for just one facial gesture Lylith thought. She needed to practice such a look. It just wouldn’t do to be caught at it. 

Both Black Widows seemed to be smart enough to understand the message and were sputtering in anger. “Very well. Such disobedience will be reported. You have been given too much leeway for much too long. That will have to change. You will come with us as we gather him in. Then we will allow you time to ponder your past and future choices. A conclave will be called to discuss matters with the two of you. We will start with the matter of Stiles. We will use the apprentice bond to the Coven. You will sit quietly while we prepare.” 

Teyla looked impassive to anyone that didn’t know her. Lylith could see the slight amusement. She had an idea of why. As the Bodywalker/Healer that Stiles visited when he did need one. Lylith had a vague knowledge of the bonds that he carried. They affected various things so she was aware. Teyla didn’t tell them she had never bonded him to the Coven because they weren’t around when he had been accepted. She and Catherine had done the ritual. Once he was fully trained there was no more tie. She had him trained at 18 and he was now 19 years old. 

A couple of more Coven members, that hadn’t bothered to introduce themselves to anyone, had arrived. They were in a huddle discussing what needed to be done to pull Stiles back into line. They did finally come to consensus. They were going to try ‘reason’ first and bludgeon him with the fact he owed the Coven and point out they owned him. If that didn’t work they thought they had something they could use on him to make him more compliant. 

Both of Teyla’s eyebrows went slowly toward her bangs in an expression of disbelief before she got her face under control. Evidently they were about to pull a major stupid.

Crap. Her daughter was in that store. This had the potential for… ugly. Stiles did have a temper. One that once ignited tended to burn very cold. The Coven was headed toward him carrying an open flame. 

Lylith exchanged a glance with Teyla as they all strode out of the building. She trailed smoke silent behind them. This was about to get… interesting. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Brigid looked up and saw Teyla and two of the Coven headed toward the door.

Pricilla and Brittanie came stalking through the door of the Bookstore. Teyla dropped back and she came in low on one side of the door and Lylith came in from the other side. Teyla spread her arms and powered the bodies back regardless of human or Other. Lylith was clearing the other side. 

Their movements triggered something in the Others. Humans found themselves grabbed and shoved down and against the walls. Bodies hit the floor. The last thing that Brigid saw was Allison airborne over the counter straight toward her. It was a rolling tackle that took the wind out of her. She was slung across the tile floor and thudded against the wall under the counter in Alex’s room. Allison was crouched in the doorway and caught Alex when he came sliding toward her on his back and sling-shoted him into the room and into Brigid’s body. 

They could hear Teyla’s voice light and mocking. “I have helped. You want Stiles. Here he is. Tell him how much he owes the Coven. How you were there for him. Watched over him. Guided and guarded him. Watched him bleed and helped him heal. Listened to him scream in pain and fear when things when very wrong because they were NOT designed for a male Black Widow. Treated the burns as some of the fires turned on him. Watched him try and fail and get up and try again. Watched him try until he could no longer stand then stubbornly crawl forward for another attempt. He only stopped when he lost consciousness. Tell him what he owes you for being there.” Her voice had gotten softer and there was more of a snarl in her tones now. “Oh. Right. You WEREN’T there. Were you?”

Brigid slid forward till she could see. Lylith was standing on one side of the room. Hands raised. Dark flames blooming from her palms. Ready. 

Morgana and Lydia had joined hands. They were on the other side. Palms facing the two Coven members. 

Sam and Dean had come off of the Security spot and shoved most of the bodies in their line of exit into the Café. 

Where a very pissed off Melissa was standing in the entryway between the stores. 

Chris and Allison were in front of her and Alex. 

A small part of her was very proud of the Others for protecting the humans and getting them out of the line of fire. 

Stiles had cleared the counter in one impressive fluid move. He and Scott were standing shoulder to shoulder. 

Stiles eyes were amber. “I owe you? You OWN me? Really? Well come and get me.” 

Pricilla and Brittanie were looking very panicked. This was not the response they evidently thought they would engender. There was no cowering. There was no fear. There wasn’t even any respect. There was only a coldly burning anger. Directed at them. 

The un-named members slid in behind them. There were now five of them facing Stiles. By some unseen signal they raised their hands and cast at Stiles. He was hit with a twisting shimmering something. He went down to his knees with a grunt. They smiled. 

He looked up. They stopped smiling. He got to his feet. He raised both hands. They started to glow. 

“Ohfuckrun.” Someone suggested. 

They cleared the door before it blew up. 

Both stores were silent and still. The pieces of the door breaking loose and falling sounded very loud. 

“Ya missed.” Dean sighed. 

Stiles turned to him. “No I didn’t. I’m not ready to kill them for that. Yet.” He looked at Chris. “I’m going to go buy another door. I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Good idea.” 

Stiles walked out and over the pieces of the door. 

Teyla looked thoughtful. 

“Mother Night. He blew up the door. That was some temper.”

She snorted and responded “That was controlled temper. He can take out the entire front of the store and everyone standing in front of him. He only struck the doorway. That was very controlled. It was a warning.” She looked around. “The next time any of them walk in. Leave by any means necessary or take cover. BEHIND Stiles.” She sighed and walked over to start clearing the pieces of door. Scott moved to help her. 

Brigid slid into the corner and held Alex tightly. 

“Momma?”

“Yes baby?”

“You want Allison to get us all some Brandy Chocolate Bites?” 

Chris stood. “I’ll get some. Heavy on the Brandy.” 

Allison moved to the inside of the room and put her back against the wall and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. Then another. And another. She opened her eyes. “Stay here. I will handle the cash register.” She got to her feet and left the room. 

Brigid was willing to be pampered and allowed more time to get her nerves back under control as a mere Human. She thought sitting on the floor and eating Brandy Chocolate Bites with her very alive and safe son was a wonderful idea. Wonderful. 

Chris came back and handed them both a bowl then sat nearby to eat his own. 

Quietly. Thoughtfully. And with a gleam in his pale blue eyes that was very….chilly. Something that Brigid wanted no part of. The Coven had managed to piss off the wrong people today. People that they had thought were weak and malleable. They had targeted Stiles. There were others that had been caught in the crossfire of their disregard. The Coven had made no friends…but they had managed to do quite well at making enemies today. Enemies that were not big on forgive and forget. 

She sighed. Maybe they could all go home and have a meltdown in private after they replaced the door. It would be nice if Chris closed the store early. They had already had their excitement for the day. She shuddered. It had been…. No. She wasn’t even going to start thinking about it till she had eaten a whole lot more chocolate and brandy that what she had in her hand. A whole lot more.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I am about to start Camp NaNoWriMo as a rebel and write 50K on this story by the end of April 2014. I am writing it and sticking it up here as I write a-la Rough Trade. Which is an amazing place to visit. Feel free to point out screw ups but know that until the end of April I will probably not get around to fixing them. 
> 
> I'll take all of the cheerleaders I can get. We are about to find out just how well and fast I can write. I put down 50K as my goal but my actual goal is higher...shudder...much higher.
> 
> some fixing and adding to this chapter.

Between Teyla, Scott and a couple of other helpers, they had the doorway, or what was left of it, removed. Teyla suddenly stopped. “Well shit.” 

Scott looked at her in surprise. She didn’t use those kinds of words. Ever. 

“Now where am I supposed to stay?” 

Scott looked blank. Then he remembered, Brittanie was living next door to Teyla and the doors opened. They were in her store and in her home. 

Teyla groaned. “There are some people that I am going to have to talk to. Lovely. I’ll be back later.” She walked out the door. 

The doorway was clear of debris. It was kind of funny when Peter walked in a short time later. He actually hesitated and looked at the doorway, took a step back, looked around and got a truly strange expression on his face. 

“Oh good. You can come over here with us and have Brandy Chocolate Bites. I’ll tell you about the book I wrote for you. I’m glad you came back.” Alex got up and started out of the door to the room only to be pulled back by Chris. Alex sighed. “I really think that they are still showering and doing laundry. It is probably safe for me to walk across the store to Peter.” 

Chris looked thoughtful but he did let Alex go. 

Alex hastily made his way to Peter and lifted his arms to be picked up. Peter hesitated but did reach down and lift the boy into his arms. “You missed the excitement. You would have liked it.” 

“Alex.” Came from several different directions. 

Alex blinked and looked around, offended. “One, this is a conversation between Peter and me or I. I forget which one to use. BUT, it’s a private conversation even if you can hear. If it is a rule for me it is a rule for you too. Second, I’m right.” He looked at Peter. “You can tell them that I’m right later after I tell you about the Coven’s stupid.” 

One side of Peter’s mouth twitched. “I would suggest decorating that corner to your taste.” 

Alex looked confused. You could almost see the wheels churning as he tried to figure out what Peter meant as Peter strolled across the room. It took him till they were sitting in a chair in the small office/workroom before his face lit up. “I’m going to be spending a lot of time there so I need to like what it looks like! Wait. You think that I need to have my own corner. Me? I don’t get into near the trouble that the rest of the males do, and that’s just the stuff that gets found out about. Oh. Uh. Let me get my book and I’ll tell you what I wrote and drew.” 

Brigid narrow-eyed him. “Is there something that you want to tell me about Alexander?”

“No Ma’am.”

She looked blank then she regrouped. “Is there something that you NEED to tell me about.”

“No Ma’am. I personally have nothing that needs to be confessed.” 

The answer didn’t make her look any happier. “That wasn’t a Scott answer. It didn’t exactly sound like Stiles either. There was a lack of certain words. Who did you hear that from?”

Alex pointed toward the Security Spot. Both wolves closed their eyes and turned their heads away. 

Peter spoke up. “Corner duty for the rest of the males is someone else’s problem. Be glad of it and let it go.” 

She huffed at him. He smiled back. She managed a credible lift-lip and went back to her chocolate. 

“Here. This is where you came in. This is your coat doing the swirly thing for your grand entrance.” Alex was so proud and excited about his picture. Peter looked so very pained. 

“That was not a grand entrance.” 

The room looked at him. In silent disbelief. Both the people in the room with him and the one behind him. 

“Oh. I get it. It is your regular entrance which would be a grand entrance for most people but because you are you..it’s just regular.” 

“Very good drawing. Next page.” 

“Here you are posing.” 

“Posing?”

“You know. When you stand there for people to admire you?” 

Brigid left the room. Chris would watch after Alex. They had a mutual admiration society going. If she started laughing Peter would… not be happy. It was just best she leave. 

“Here you are in the chair doing the almost as scary as the girls look.” 

She needed to be next door. It was further away and she could hear less. She rounded the wall to see Melissa with both hands over her mouth trying to keep the laughter in.  
Maybe she should just step outside without her coat. That would chill the hysterical laughter that was threatening to burst free. 

There was a sort of muffled choking sound from Chris. Outside it was. 

~~~~~~~~~

She checked on a few things, went up stairs to get a jacket since there was no front door to the Bookstore and it was a bit chilly. 

She arrived back in time to see workers redoing the front of the store. The doorway that was going in was metal and frosted glass. It was significantly heavier than the regular wood and glass doors that Stiles had taken out. 

He was preparing the area for the doorway to be put in. Customers had to go out of Melissa’s door. Not that many of them were leaving. There were runes and blood involved.

The workers flinched but held steady. They had it in place in a couple of hours and she doubted that they lost over two or three viewers. 

They almost lost a number of people from heart failure when the wards briefly activated and accepted the new doorway. Stiles had told them to back away from the front of the building and sent people out to stop anyone from trying to come in while it was happening. 

Brigid got to see Peter’s eyes get very big. Which made her feel better. Then a smile slowly took over his face…which didn’t.

~~~~~~~~~

"We are finished with my book for you. I can tell you about the Coven's Stupid now." 

Brigid watched her formerly shy, hesitant son direct people as he re-created the “Coven’s Stupid”. He started off just telling Peter about it from Peter’s lap. That didn’t give enough room for creative expression. He crawled down and began to act it out. Which gathered an audience. 

The Coven came in. He moved with a kind of prissy walk and a “I smell something bad” expression on his face. 

Teyla and Lylith came in behind them like….whoa. Arms wide and grrrrrrr as he slunk across the room. She glanced over at Lylith who was watching with amusement. Fortunately. 

Chris grabbed him and slid him to Allison and she caught him and slung him into the room. It was so cool! He and Mom crawled forward to they could see. This had him scooting across the tile floor on his back and rolling over to do a low-crawl which brought him into the main part of the Bookstore. 

Somehow he managed to get the people in the store recreate their parts for those that had come in later. 

Stiles and Scott faced the two Coven witches like a gunslinger movie. Here it broke down. Milling and discussion but finally two people volunteered to be the Coven. It was an Other and a Human. They just kind of stood there until all of the sudden some desire to act struck the Human girl. “You can’t resist. Come and join us Stiles. Come and be the bitch you were meant to be. Leave these petty creatures and celebrate the wonders of Bitchdom.” 

Stiles’ face displayed its mobility as shock, anger, disbelief and finally hysterical laughter won out at her words. 

“You laugh now but the Coven of the Bitches shall reign triumphant. I’ll get you little boy. You and your little dog too!” 

Stiles face was down and his shoulders were shaking. 

“See how hard it is to resist. You feel the pull if the bitches. Join us or you will get the slap. Come and join me bitches. Let us show him what true power is. Summon the PMS and cast.” 

There was some hesitant shuffling. The Other standing beside her looked torn between wariness she was that close to some nutcase and admiration of the job the girl was doing in the role. Finally three more Other joined them and stood behind the girl. There was this sudden flurry as a friend to the human suddenly joined them, pulled something out of her bag and passed them around. It was this tube thing on a plastic necklace. She showed them how they could open it up and carefully blow. Bubbles came out. There was a brief, hurried conference with them all in a huddle. She got to join them. They got to keep the bubble necklaces. A bit of practicing and then they were ready. 

“By the power of Night, cease to fight, be the Bitch you were meant to be!” They spoke more or less together and blew bubbles at Stiles. 

Stiles sank willingly to his knees with his face down. Mainly because of the badly muffled snickers that were making it hard to stay on his feet without breaking out into laughter. He was almost crying. 

They kept blowing bubbles. It took Stiles about a minute before he could look up and not start laughing. They could finally see him gather himself together and raise his hand. A faint shimmering ball appeared. It grew slowly. He stood up and blew on it. It acted like a giant bubble and drifted toward them. 

They watched fascinated. Forgetting their part. Someone cleared their throat and muttered “Ohfuckrun.” 

They did make it out the door before it burst against the metal. There was some bumping and tripping going on but they made it out. 

They came back in to applause. 

The bubble wands were a big hit and the poor girl was surrounded and questioned. Directions were obtained and some of the Others set off to evidently get more bubbles. 

“You can make your own you know. It is mainly water and dishwashing liquid. One cup of water and one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Don’t get the really cheap ones. You need one of the thicker brands. You can add a little jello from the jello packets to add color. But you better do those outside. The food coloring sometimes stains.” That comment stopped everyone in their tracks and had the woman surrounded by Others. After a brief period of faint panic, she settled into teaching mode. Stiles provided some jars that weren’t going to be used again. They moved over to the side and started on their project. 

“You do have some of the most interesting clientele.” Peter murmured to Chris. Chris just sighed in response. 

“See. You would have liked it wouldn’t you.” Alex gleefully danced over to Peter and raised his arms to be picked up. He was discovering that he liked being held. 

“Yes. I am sorry to have missed it. You did a wonderful replay. Thank you.” 

Alex gave Peter and kiss on the cheek and squirmed to be let down. He wanted in on the bubble making. 

He never looked back and see what that simple gesture of affection did to Peter. Chris and most of the rest of the store did. It cemented his fate.


	33. Chapter 33

Teyla arrived back at the Bookstore just as dusk fell. Everything stopped. She walked over to Stiles. “I have contacted the Coven Council. They have been informed of the events that happened today. Pricilla was acting on her own. She will be censured for her actions. The others are younger and will be pulled out and put with other mentor on probation. They are making arrangements to arrive. They are opening the Coven House but it will take a couple of days. They will pay for my lodging and any inconvenience. They sounded most apologetic. The matter will be dealt with severely.” 

“And what does that really mean?” 

“There will be an overview of the current leaders of this Coven section. There will be replacements. Beacon Hills is relatively small. Evidently not enough attention was paid and accountability demanded.”

“Uh. Haven’t you been saying that for awhile?”

“We seem to finally have their attention. Regardless, the women involved have been notified. We will see what happens when the leadership arrives. In the meantime they are to remain in the house that was organized for them. If they need any supplies they will be provided. They are under house arrest. Brittanie has been informed that she is to vacate the Herb Store and no contact with either of us. She will be returning with the Coven members.” She gave him a tight smile. “I will be notified when they have been escorted from the building. If I want to stay somewhere else, I will be reimbursed. If I feel that security is needed then I will be reimbursed for that as well.” 

She looked around. “The Herb Store will be closed for… The Herb Store will be closed. I have every confidence in Stiles’ abilities.” She caught sight of someone waving to her through the window. She went to talk with them. 

Stiles moved where he could watch. She nodded and was escorted inside the Herb Store. The people left after several minutes. He could feel her raise the wards and secure the building. It had the feeling of hunkering down and waiting for the storm to break. 

Chris looked around. He walked over and talked to Melissa. He came back after a few minutes of conversation. Melissa had moved over to talk to the Magpies. They looked slightly alarmed, confused but nodded in agreement. Melissa moved from customer to customer speaking quietly. 

Chris came back into the Bookstore. “We will be closing early. The Café will also be closing early. We will open at the new time of 10:00 a.m. and Melissa will be opening the Café at her usual time tomorrow. Buy what you intended to buy and go home. Not wander around the Courtyard. Go home. Any questions?”

No one had any that they voiced. The customers quietly picked up what they wanted and a couple of books to read and checked out and left. 

Melissa cleared out the Café quickly. She sent the Magpies home with food. Scott moved over to help her shut down. Lydia looked around the Bookstore and decided that Melissa could use the help more than Chris. 

It didn’t take long to shut the stores down. Melissa sent everyone home with food. Sam and Dean found the benches and curled up in wolf form for the night. Allison, Morgana and Lydia followed Lylith to spend the night there. 

Melissa, Scott, Stiles, Brigid and Alex headed up stairs to their places. 

Peter and Chris were in his office talking quietly. 

Peter looked at Chris. “How much of that did you buy?”

“Not much. I am sure that there will be … it will look like punishments. They were too confident. I am even more not sure what is going on with the Coven and like it less than I did before.” 

“I have never paid them much attention. I only started when Kate seemed to be involved with them. I find this all very suspect.” He looked at Chris. “Allison is staying with Lylith?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Then you get my company for the night.”

Chris frowned at him. “Why?” 

“You would be the only one alone. Don’t worry. No one will know that I’m there.”

“That’s not what I meant. Why do you seem to feel that I need protecting?” 

“You will need sleep tonight. I won’t. I don’t trust them. I doubt that anything will happen tonight. But later. A number of things need to be considered. I would prefer that you and Allison be here with the rest of them. Teyla gave the impression that she isn’t anxious to reopen the Herb Store. She might be convinced to sell.” 

“And then what?”

“You gut it. Have Stiles go through it from top to bottom and see what the Coven has done and left. Then you renovate and open the three buildings up to each other like they were in the first place. Have Stiles ward them. You don’t separate the Bookstore and the Herb Store like they were. You just expand the front section across and then arrange the rest as needed. You and Allison live over that building. It should open up like the section above us. I remember when it was first built. It was one extended family that had several businesses.” 

“I don’t remember that.”

“You aren’t Sanguinati.” 

“That’s been part of the problem, concern, bitching, take your choice…. No, I’m not.” 

“I think that you need to take your part of the food and head to your house. I will meet you there.” He shifted into smoke and left. 

“One way to have the last word.” Chris picked up his packages and left for his house. House. Not home. It hadn’t been in years. “Let Stiles know that I’m gone and to raise the wards.” Dean huffed in acknowledgement. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melissa, Scott, Stiles, Brigid and Alex sat around the table in Melissa’s apartment. They had eaten and were looking at each other. Not exactly wanting to be alone. The day had shaken all of them up. Not one of them had thought that the Coven would be so….arrogant, stupid, aggressive and a number of unprintable words. 

Dean knocked and called out to Stiles.. “Chris is out. Raise the wards.” They heard nails clicking on the floor as he shifted back and went back downstairs. 

Brigid blinked at Melissa “He stands out there naked?”

Scott and Melissa looked at her blankly. Stiles started giggling. Honestly giggling. It only took him a few seconds to get it under control but his face was brighter for it. “Wolfgard don’t have the human conditioning about nudity. It’s pretty much a natural state for them. You are just lucky that you arrived in winter and the cold does affect them running around in just skin before they put on clothes for convenience.”

Brigid’s eyes got huge. “Oh. My.” She blinked rapidly. “That’s…wow.” Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she nailed Scott and Stiles with a look. “Alexander does NOT shift. There would be no reason for him to run around naked. Are we clear on that gentlemen?”

Scott and Stiles looked wide-eyed back at her. “Shouldn’t you be telling him that not us?”

“I’m telling some and I do mean some of the males that are going to get him Mommy-voiced or time in his own very special corner.” She leaned forward “And he just might have company in that very special corner. Now, do we have an understanding?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Wonderful. Now tell me what our understanding is.” 

As one, Scott and Stiles looked at Melissa for guidance. Who rolled her eyes. “She wants you to tell her what you just agreed to in your own words so she knows that you understand and are not just agreeing with her to get her off your butt. You agree that Alex should stick to human conventions of modesty.”

“We do?” Stiles looked rather doubtful. Scott hit him. “Of course we do.”

Stiles looked at Brigid and parroted “Of course we do.” 

“Alex you do understand that all of the taller males in your life don’t always give good advice to keep you out of trouble with your mother, right?” Melissa looked at Alex.

“Yes Ma’am.” 

“You also realize that we are counting on you to be the sensible one?”

Alex just drooped. “Yes Ma’am.”

“But he’s five!” 

“And how sad is that?”

“I need to go and raise the wards now.” Stiles got up. “I’ll go help him.” Scott announced getting a WTF look from everyone around the table. “Fine. I’ll go and stand in the hallway with Stiles. It’s better than being sent to the corner.” Scott got up and walked into the hall. Stiles after a couple of seconds got up and followed him. 

Alex drank his mug of SoothingTea. Quietly. 

“You just have to be sensible for you. Not for them.” 

Mournful puppy eyes was her answer. 

They could feel Stiles raise the wards over the buildings. 

When he came back in Melissa suggested “Why don’t we have another sleep over?” 

The others looked around and nodded. The day had been tough on everyone’s nerves. They felt safer together. They wandered out and took care of what they needed to do and then wandered back to her apartment. The doors were left open. They only had one more day then it was Earthday and they were off. 

And the day was going to be so full of things that needed to be done it would be pressing to get it all accomplished. 

Brigid and Alex came back first. Brigid had her things for work. She and Alex had showered and were in their nightclothes. They arranged the living room. Melissa was now grateful for the daybed and trundle bed underneath that had never really been used before. She and Brigid took that. 

The couch folded out and was actually comfortable. They would let Scott wrestle with it. He won the battle more often than Melissa did. She lost patience and wanted to rip it out and apart quicker than he did. The only reason it was still in one piece was because it was the most comfortable thing that they had slept on in either couch or bed form. 

Scott walked in with Stiles and looked at the couch and groaned. They moved the cushions and between the two of them they managed to lever both sides of the bed out at the same time. It was an operation of the most delicacy that involved pinched fingers and scraped knuckles. The couch bit. 

Finally all of the nests were suitably made. The apartments closed for the night. Last drink of water and last pee. The lights were turned out and they lay there in the darkness. Listening to each other breathe and move around to find a comfortable spot. They were together. They were safe. They had made it through the day. All was well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris looked at the ceiling of his living room from his position on the couch. At the dark smoky blob in the corner. Sulking. He had tried talking as much as he hated it. He had talked as he got his food ready. He had talked as he ate his supper. He had talked as he showered and got ready for sleep. On the couch in the living room where he had been sleeping for days because he hadn’t had a chance to check out his bed. He had slept there with Victoria and now it gave him the creeps. 

There had been no response to anything that he had said. Time to try something different. He had a tennis ball and his aim was superb. 

Bounce.  
Bounce.  
Bounce.  
BOUNCE.  
BAM! The tennis ball exploded and a very irate Peter shifted from smoke form to solid and stood over Chris as he lay on the couch. 

Chris gave him a questioning look. Peter glared but sat on the other end. Chris merely shifted so he could put his head in Peter’s lap. 

“What are you doing?”  
“Getting ready to go to sleep.”  
“I thought you wanted to talk.”  
“It wasn’t doing me any good. I think that I’ll just go to sleep now. Good-night.” 

Silence. “You really are most annoying.”  
“Hummm.” 

“You are actually going to sleep with your head in my lap?”  
“You are going to be here and awake. Might as well use you as a pillow. That way one of us gets something out of it.”  
Pinch.  
“Ouch. That HURT.”  
“Awwww, want me to kiss it better?”  
Chris shifted and took off the T-shirt he had been wearing. “You can start there.”

Peter was quiet. “Put your shirt back on.”  
“Put your gloves on and I shouldn’t need to.”

“Christopher.”  
“Peter.”

Chris continued. “Victoria is part of it. She broke faith. It was never a love match. Not on her side. I knew that going into the marriage. It was an arrangement that suited both of us. I have Allison whom I love dearly. You can give me many things Peter, but face it, having children isn’t one of them. You and I have been close for a very long time. Despite objections from my family and doubts from yours.”

“What do you want from me? Stress relief?”  
“No. I want to spend the night with someone that I care about that I honestly can believe that cares about me in return. I haven’t felt that way since my mother died. It doesn’t have to be sexual but I would never turn that down from you. I trust you.”  
“Maybe you shouldn’t.”  
Chris snorted. “I’ve had my father, Kate, Victoria and a couple of Wolfgard that I’m not even related to decide to tell me how to live my life. Despite the fact that their own lives are pretty fucked up. Whose been on your ass?”  
“My family is more extended so I have more concerned relatives in various degrees of closeness deigning to give me advice. That I neither asked for or want.”  
“So about the same just more relatives and less concerned, nosy onlookers.”  
“Pretty much.” 

“I can’t say that I really give a shit anymore. It’s my life not theirs. I don’t owe them and they don’t own me. I will deny this with my last breath but I can relate to Stiles and the Coven.”  
Peter snickered. “Ouch. That hurt.”  
“You have no idea how much. I’ve kept him and Scott successfully at a distance for years. Allison has been my primary concern.”  
“Your only real weakness.”  
Chris was silent.  
“You did notice what happened today. And the other day. They are pretty good at taking care of themselves. They also have others that will step in and help them if they need it or even if they don’t think that they need help. It is not exactly safe to care, but you are going to do it anyway. You might as well give in and do what you can to keep them even safer.”  
“Why did I get you as my voice of reason?”  
“Just lucky I guess.”  
“Huh.” Chris shifted so they were more face to face. “That goes for you too you know. You care. Might as well admit and do something about it.”  
“Such as?”  
“There is that kiss that you owe me. We can start there.” 

Peter looked at him. Searchingly. “Are you sure?”  
“This is about the only thing that I AM sure of lately.”  
“Well then, I guess I need to get started.”  
“About damn time!”


	34. Chapter 34

Brigid pushed her hair back. Again. It was days like this that made her consider chopping the waist-length mess off. It wasn’t all the same length and the front part seemed to be part escape artist. It had been a wonderfully quiet day. Not totally empty but there had been time between customers that they were actually getting caught up. 

Alex and Lydia were over at the material station working on bags. Allison and Morgana were arranging the Herbal section. 

Stiles had looked around and drafted Scott, Dean and Sam to help him carry things up from the underground storage. There had been some sort of whispered bribery involved. They were motivated by something. The pile of totes was head high and several wide. 

She would have to get Stiles to take her down there. It sounded like some sort of magic cavern considering what all came out of there. The Bookstore was permeated with the most wonderful scents. She had noticed that some people came in and bought books or magazines and then sat near the Herbal section in the reading chairs. She saw them from time to time just sitting there with their eyes closed. 

Those Stiles would hand some tiny herbal bag. He didn’t charge them for it. Just pointed out what it was and where that product line was. They almost always bought. Even if it was on a return trip because they didn’t bring enough cash. It was an interesting way to do retail. 

There were customers that were waiting patiently for Morgana and Lydia to restock. They had gone to get something to eat or they were just sitting in the chairs and beanbags that had materialized once Allison realized that the longer people stayed, the more they bought. They stayed longer if they were comfortable. 

It was one of the reasons that Brigid and Alex had spent so much time in the Bookstore. It was one of the few places where they felt if not exactly welcome then allowed to stay as long as they wanted. That was before the changes that made it even more encouraging to stay. 

She had to give him credit, Stiles was good. When he wasn’t just hammered with customers to the point that he was just trying to survive and she could see his real style, Brigid was impressed. He was animated but that was just Stiles. He didn’t make the customers nervous. He didn’t hard sell them anything. He explained and came up with samples for them to smell and/or try. 

Then there was his real training and skill. She didn’t get to see it often because of the volume of people that had been in and out of the store but she had witnessed it a couple of times. Someone that he knew came in for something. Not just bath or body but there was some sort of need. He examined and questioned. He wasn’t shy about it either. Usually they would be made some sort of herbal tea and told to sit on one of the comfortable spots and wait. He had bodily retrieved one young man that thought he could leave before Stiles was done with him. “Sit!” worked amazing in that tone. The young man wasn’t the only one to find a seat. 

She was looking forward to seeing what he could really do. It was getting closer to that point with every tote. There was some system that he was pulling them by. He did have a plan. 

Chris just watched as he placed and filled book orders. He was in a good mood today. A really good mood. She had even heard him humming very softly a couple of times. She was glad. It was about time that something when well for him. She had a suspicion that something’s name started with P. 

She went back to filling the sample jars of Seven Scents. She made herself a note to ask Stiles if he was going to break down and buy more of the sample jars or the customers that didn’t buy now would just be out of luck. Oddly enough, he headed her way with a bottle of water which he handed to her. 

“Thank you but I think that you might need it more than I do.” He smelled wonderful. He wasn’t dripping sweat but he was damp from the exertion. 

He snorted. “This is about my sixth refill. This is why I am drinking this one so close to the bathroom. It’s going to start coming out in more than sweat soon.” He looked at her. “You will tell me if I need to go, shower and change my clothes won’t you?” 

Brigid blinked at him in surprise. 

He shrugged. “Wolfgard are different about scents. It’s kind of like clothes. I don’t think that I can really explain it because I don’t understand myself. I know that Humans can be funny about personal scent. They do all sorts of things to change and cover it up. The cover up is… like something pissed on them which is not what I’m imagining what they were going for.” He had to stop and let her get over her giggles. “Anyway, you are my human ‘do I offend’ meter if you would.” She nodded. 

“So? Shower and change of clothes?”

Brigid hesitated. 

He moved closer and leaned so they were more eye to eye. “I asked. I won’t get all pissy if you tell me I stink and to please take two giant steps back.” His eyes shined with good humor. 

“You don’t stink.”There was more admiration in her tone than she had meant to come out. 

His head came back and his face did a Stiles variety of expressions. “Really? Good because we have a shit-ton more stuff to move around.” He leaned forward and brushed his cheek against hers. “Pee-pee dance about to commence.” He moved off to the bathroom. 

The cheek brush was a gesture of affection between two people that were close. The sex of the two was immaterial. It surprised her. She didn’t … she didn’t know what she did and didn’t feel about them. There was so much to sort out and so many changes in such a short period of time. But then it didn’t matter. It came down to she felt like she was accepted as she was and she belonged. In the end, that was all that mattered. She went back to watching the entertainment on the Herbal side of the store.

“Damn.” Most of the heads in the store turned her way in surprise. Brigid blushed in embarrassment. They shrugged and went back to what they had been doing. 

Stiles walked out and looked at her. “Problem?”

“Question. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure.”

“In the beginning I know that you said that once the screw-up jars were gone that was it. They have turned out to be really popular and we are on the last tote. Do we start telling people this is it? Have you thought about ordering more or do you not want to bother.” 

He sighed. “I was thinking about it one night a dark-thirty. I got as far as calling the distributer and they didn’t like the screw-up jars any better than I did at first. They were going to see what they could do for me if I ordered a shit-ton of them. We have been playing phone tag. Let me just go ahead and call them and find out what they have to offer.” He moved over closer to Chris and pulled out paper and pencil. 

He got in touch with the person that he had been dealing with and started writing down information for Chris to look at. His eyebrows when up so evidently it was a really good offer. There seemed to be three or four levels of offers. Stiles was pointing at the second level. Chris was in favor of the highest. There was some note writing back and forth. Stiles looked hard at Chris. Chris gave him a hard look, nodded firmly and pointed to the last offer. Stiles closed his eyes and put in the order. Chris patted him on the back. 

Stiles gave the information that had to be changed for the order to come to the Bookstore instead of the Herb Store. They were familiar with the address and Chris because before Stiles took over most of the store there were periods when there was no one there to accept deliveries. It went into his back area and he got hold of Stiles and told him to get Scott and come and get his stuff. 

The Coven had been interfering with the running of the business of the Herb Store for a very long time. Stiles hadn’t realized how much so until that moment. He had known in the back of his mind that the profit from the store had taken a big increase when he took over and was there on a daily basis. He had just never given it that much thought. He had just been trying to keep the shelves and orders filled faster than the Coven could deplete them. 

There was no telling what could happen when he didn’t have to fight against those kinds of losses. Chris was probably right to go for the higher amount. He looked over at Brigid. “Done.” 

“Oh thank you.” She gave a big sigh of relief. The store looked at her.

Stiles moved over closer. “That was more than just a little relief. What’s going on?”

“Nothing really. I have been passing on the requests in writing. There have been a number of customers that have been rather anxious about the availability of the Seven Scents. They have been asking about being able to put in large orders for them and I haven’t really had anything to tell them other than as far as I knew the original plan was not to order more of the small jars. I would try to find out for them but it just hasn’t come up till now.” 

“Has someone been giving you problems?”

“No. Not really. I can understand that they are anxious and have plans that are waiting on me to give them an answer before they can decide what they are going to do. I have contact information. I can let them know that you have decided to order more of the screw-up jars and we really need a better name.”

“Screw-up jars is pretty accurate. The company that makes them has been sitting on just about like I have till we came up with this idea to use them. That is why I got the dirt cheap price on them and thank you Chris for getting me to go for that option. I didn’t think that there would be that much of a demand for them once this little flurry was over. I had no idea that there were people that wanted to put in large orders.” 

“I’m sorry.” Brigid shrunk in on herself. 

“No. No. I’m not in the least bitching at you about anything. You have done an incredible job. We have had our asses kicked pretty much every day. We are still trying to figure things out. We keep saying that we need more plan, better plan than just survive. Things like this are just going to happen. There is a whole list of things that just keeps growing every time I look at it that I need to address. For every one that I get crossed off two or three crop up to take its place.” He reached out and pulled her into a hug. “Our only day to work on anything is Earthday so we don’t have any down time at all. So far it’s been okay but it can’t continue. We are going to have to have brainstorming sessions in the morning for an hour to get caught up before we worry about putting things on the shelves. We will get there. All of you have been freaking amazing. We will get there.” He cupped her face in one hand and tilted it up until he could read her expression. “Do you WANT to call them? I can do it if you like.” 

She smiled at him. “They have been very pleasant and understanding. I don’t mind at all being the one to give them the good news. Do you know when the jars will arrive?”

“It should be about Windsday. Ah crap. We need to carve a serious hole for all the screw-it jars we are going to get. Thank you Chris.”

“Why?”

“I was going to go small. Chris has more of the ‘go big or go home’ mindset. We took what they have had sitting in the warehouse for some time and been unable to move. They threw in some other stuff to sweeten the deal. I have a feeling it was other stuff that they hadn’t been able to sell. I’m not totally sure what is coming or how much room we will need other than…a lot.” 

Brigid groaned and twisted her face out of his hand to bury it in his shirt. For a few seconds she sighed and let him take her weight as she put her arms around his waist. 

“That’s pretty much my reaction but with a lot more cussing.” 

She straightened up. “We can do this.” She looked over at Chris. “Okay Mr. Go Big…. Where do we put the stuff that’s coming?” 

“Long term. We make Teyla an offer for the Herb Store. All of it. Gut it, renovate it and according to what I’ve been told it will open up like the Bookstore and the Café open to each other. Figure out where and how it opens up and then just expand across the entire front. Allison and I will take the two upstairs apartments which also supposedly open to the other apartments. In the meantime, all three stores were set up the same. That means that they are three floors and the floor between store and the apartments isn’t being used for much of anything. I’ve never had the inventory or reason. There is a lift that goes to that floor that I know works but have never used. It’s in that funky little room off of the back area where we get our deliveries now. If you start looking around, you can see where archways have been filled in as the building changed owners and they used it for different things. 

I picked this set because they were bigger than I thought that I would ever need. That would allow me to expand and not have to find new property or have someone get me in a bind because I needed more room and theirs was the only way I could go.”

The entire store looked at him in amazement. 

“I’m not just another pretty face you know.” That got the entire room. He turned around and looked at Melissa who was standing in the entryway listening. “I was asked why you didn’t use the upstairs sunroom for the customers.” 

She looked at him. “One reason would be I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve seen it from the outside. I never could find out how to get to it so I thought it was more decorative than anything.” 

“Nope. There is supposedly some stairway that leads from the end of the building up to the sunroom.” 

“Really?” She wasn’t the only one that walked over to the far wall. One guy looked. Pulled out a tape measure and started measuring. He went outside and did the same. He came back in to announce there is at least eight feet that is unaccounted for. He started running his hands over the wall. “Well hell!” He went outside and came back in with a toolbox. He got out a screwdriver and started taking out some screws. He had a number of curious, willing helpers. Most of the wall was brick. Painted brick. What he was taking off was paneling. A step ladder was procured and he took the upper parts loose. 

The part of the store that could fit started checking out the revealed room. “It’s a stair well. That’s what those windows are to. I never could figure that out.” 

“Why don’t we let the lady that owns it have the first look.”

“Ooops. Sorry.” Melissa was handed into the area. 

She looked around and up. “I have a freaking staircase? You said sunroom? Is this how I get to all those neat windows I saw?” 

“One way to find out. Climb the stairs.” Curiosity was contagious. 

“I told her about it. I get to go see.” Chris announced to his store as he jogged over and followed her up the stairs. 

Brigid looked at the others. “Stop glaring. They have to go home. We live here. We will get to explore and we have places here that we haven’t found.” That might have been a mistake to announce as walls were now tactilely examined. She just shook her head and went back to her call list to share the good news. 

Melissa came to the top of the stairs and stopped cold. She had known that the building was large. The downstairs and the apartments were a series of rooms. Odd rooms that sometimes made no sense. This floor was almost entirely open except for the supports. It was a massive amount of room. 

The people moved past her and wandered around the room. “These are booths. They aren’t attached, more like freestanding. It looks kind of like that it was something like a place where you could find and buy different kinds…. It’s a market! It’s a small freaking market. Holy shit! Does this open to the other two buildings?” The person speaking looked at the guy that had discovered the stairwell. 

An older woman turned to look at Melissa. “Your Cafe and the Bookstore and the ONLY real places where Humans and Others mix freely and easily. We are comfortable here. A small market where both Other and Human crafts are sold hasn’t been done. There certainly isn’t any place where crafts can be taught and learned from one kind to the other. You saw how often the crafts like the bags and the bubble making session went. People now feel comfortable enough come with their bags and exchange decorating ideas. You saw that little clutch of people that were adding beading to their bags. It was a mixture of Human and Other. This is uniquely set up to offer those kinds of experiences. It could also be profitable.” 

Melissa looked at her blankly. “I have no idea how to do something like that.” 

“Not a problem dear. Give me a few days and I will submit a proposal. Now if you will excuse me, I want to see what I have to work with.” The woman went over to tool man and began to confer. The group grew. Evidently some people had been listening and wanted in on the proposed craft/market. 

Melissa wandered around. Heard that they thought that the hall extended the length of the building. Turned around, ran into Chris who was listening avidly. She patted him on the chest and left him to it. Cooking was her thing. He would make sure that she got her part of any profits but he was going to be the one to deal with it. Him and the woman that seemed to be a take-charge type. It might not be a bad idea to send Sam upstairs and leave Dean watching the stores. They were going to have people wandering around on various levels. This just got much, much bigger. 

She walked into the Bookstore. “Okay Sam. Upstairs. You and Chris will need to address some security issues. The upstairs might and emphasis on might span all three buildings once they look at the walls. It’s set up like a possible market/craft fair but on a semi or permanent basis. That means more people wandering around on different levels.” 

Dean was the one that went. A number of people followed him. Like most of the stores that weren’t playing search the wall. 

She shook her head and went to tell the Magpies that their business was going to increase. She was going to go ahead and ask about the friend that had sent them with a few things to eat from time to time. Whoever it was could cook. She would like to meet them and possibly hire them. There weren’t that many people around that had a talent for baking. 

She had just called them over to talk to them about it when Dean came down in fur, changed into skin and clothes and went back upstairs. 

“Sam. You are going to want to check this out tonight. Chris is wanting to increase the amount of Security. Who do we know? Who do we trust?”

Sam gave him a WTF look. 

“This is more than just the two of us can handle. I’ll show you what we are finding when the stores close.” Pretty much the rest of the store followed Dean except for the employees. 

So much for a quiet day.


	35. Chapter 35

The fifteen minute howl didn’t cut it. In the end it was Sam, Dean and Peter in smoke form which evidently was one of his hunting forms to make sure that all of the customers left. 

Tomorrow was Earthday. It was the only thing saving her sanity. 

It was amazing how quickly things could happen. Once the covering for the staircase had been found, the hunt had been on. The Bookstore was much more open than it had been. Brigid had just been glad Chris hadn’t killed someone when he came down and saw what had happened. It was a couple of seconds of “you have to be shitting me” and then he started putting people to work. Cleaning supplies came out and rooms were cleaned. The room that Chris had selected as the main office remained the same. That was about it. She had been shocked how much paneling had been carried upstairs to be used for the booths that people were planning. 

A person could stand at the front of the store and see almost all the way to the back. There were sections that could be closed off like the back area that they came in. But that was done with the most amazing wrought iron that had gates. 

The Sewing Club as she had begun to think of them had quickly claimed one of the empty rooms. The material, tables, and sewing machines had been moved in after the area had been given a through scrubbing. It was theirs and they wanted it CLEAN. She looked away and then turned around later to find out that floor lamps had appeared over the sewing machine and some of the chairs. She had looked at Sam. Wolves could shrug. He was there to keep people from taking things out without paying. No for people bringing things in. 

They had strung some of the artificial ivy and flowers through the wrought iron in their area. It really did make it look pretty. 

Speaking of, Brigid looked at the massive archways and sets of gates that had been uncovered to reveal the entrance to the Herb Store. There were four. One for each season. The artistry was amazing. Once those had been revealed people had just stood and looked. The craftsmanship was masterfully detailed. The paneling behind it was pale which highlighted the dark metal. All that was left was to uncover the Herb Store side. It was definitely going to change how that store did business. 

Brigid pushed her hair out of her face and back over her shoulder. For the last time. She turned to Allison. “Can you either braid my hair like you did yours that first day or cut it off?”

“Excuse me?” Allison looked rather dumbfounded. She shook herself. “No don’t cut it, it’s beautiful. I didn’t braid my hair. I can’t do that.”

“Oh.” Allison looked at Lydia. Who shook her head. Morgana? Headshake. “Who did braid your hair then?” It had been a rather elaborate braid that started at the top of her head and snaked down her back. It wasn’t just one braid. There had been parts that had been added to the main ‘stream’. 

Allison got a funny look on her face. “Uh.” 

“I did it.” 

Once again, entire room head turn. To look at Chris. “What? It’s just braiding. Braiding and other knot and rope work was part of my training. Dean has some of the same training.” 

“Yeah, but I’m eating.” 

Brigid looked at a grubby Dean. “I don’t doubt that you can braid but that was more than just plait-three.” 

“Macramé came from rope work. I was taught rope work.” 

She shook herself. “Well in that case will someone please get this mess to stay out of my face and way?” 

Chris went and washed his hands. Allison handed him a wide toothed comb. He sat behind her and combed her hair out. It was rather nice. He worked the bangs that were the shortest and most irritating part of her hair in from both sides. He pulled the hair up to the top to braid in a heavy line. He was faster at it than she expected. She handed him the elastic for the bottom. She was so thrilled to have the mess under control she forgot herself and turned to give him an enthusiastic hug. After the initial struggle for balance since she had them both off, he just hugged her back tightly with a huff of soft laughter. “You are welcome. I’ll do it anytime you want. You are so much easier and more grateful than someone I could name.” 

“You pull.”   
“Sitting still and not turning your head every few seconds helps with that.”   
“But it takes forever.”  
“You wanted that braid. I could have done something easier and quicker and by the way how long did it take me with Brigid and have you happened to notice that her hair is much longer than yours and had been layered at some point? Didn’t take that long with someone who wasn’t a squirmy-wormie.” 

Brigid cracked up with laughter. The term 'squirmy-wormie' from Chris was just hysterical. She wasn’t the only one laughing. 

Allison huffed in offense but her lips did twitch. “Can someone knock on Teyla’s wall and see if she will answer? That way she will know what we found and you can ask her if she wants to join us or sell?”

Brigid winced at the phrasing but she did admit that Allison had a point. Stiles stood up. “I think that I know where they would join upstairs. We might as well wait to get cleaned up till we explore. We would just get dirty again. Let’s go up and I’ll get her attention.”

They all trooped upstairs behind him. He found the entryway quickly and used Craft to knock. “Teyla. Open the door Teyla.” 

“Stiles?”  
“Yep. Let me get my side open and you can probably see better to open yours.”  
“My side of what?”  
“Just go with me on this. It has to be seen to be believed. Okay, got it.” He slid the pocket door open and tapped on the back of the second pocket door.   
Teyla got it open from her side with an expression of disbelief. “This opens? No one told me this part opened.”  
“Oh it just gets better and better.” He looked at her. She was casually dressed. “You need something that can get grubby. Will that work or do you need to change?”  
She blinked. Looked down at herself. “This will suffice. Why?”  
“Come on. You won’t believe this shit.” Stiles reached out and took her hand and gently pulled her along.

Alex decided to let bygones be bygones since evidently Stiles liked her again. He took her other hand. “We found stuff. There is this floor that we didn’t know about till they found the stairs. There is going to be a market in the middle. The Sewing Club is excited because they have their own room now but that is in the Bookstore and not in the middle. Melissa found her mystery staircase and the upstairs has this glass place that you put plants in. You and Stiles like plants so that will be cool for you. Are you going to stay with us and be part of our Pack or are you going to sell and move out?” 

The entire group halted with that question. 

Teyla released Stiles’ hand and turned and sat on the floor to face Alex still holding his hand. She studied him with a very thoughtful look on her face. The silence was making people nervous. “I never really wanted the store. It was required of me by the Coven. I did the store and they left me alone. They left Stiles alone. I am a long way from home. These people are not mine. My heart longs for home. Stiles can stand on his own. He does not stand alone. He has others to care for him. He has others that will come to his aid as their student. I was not his only teacher. I was destined to mentor not mother. Thank you for the honor of being part of the Pack but I must decline. I have Pack of my own that I will only leave when I pass over into final death. I will sell. I will sell and be free to go home.” Her eyes shimmered with tears. The sight of one drop overflowing and sliding down her cheek…

Stiles dropped down behind her and pulled her into his arms. “You have been one bad-ass teacher. It has been an honor. I will miss you. Home is precious. Too precious to pass up a chance to return.” 

They sat there quietly as she got herself together. She wiped her face with her hands and sniffed. “So, show me what wonders you have found and what you plan. I will be duly impressed.” She rose easily to her feet and pulled Stiles up. He was less graceful. 

Chris looked at her. “When do you want to talk about terms?” He looked shocked. 

“You have always conducted yourself with integrity. I am certain what you think over and present to me will be more than fair and acceptable. I wish to see what the promise of a future you have revealed. I am sure that it will be glorious.” She hip-checked Stiles into motion. She held out her hand to Alex. They went off with Alex chattering at her and Teyla nodding gravely. 

For the first time, Brigid could see the woman she had been before the Coven had taken over her life. The woman she would be again. 

~~~~~~~~~~

They covered the market floor and managed to open up all of the areas including the Herb Store part. Teyla had advised against opening up that section till Stiles could purify it lest things creep out. The Coven had done the original work despite her protests. They had gone behind her back and it was already done when she had returned. They had to admit that it had a tainted, grubby feel to that area. 

All Teyla planned to take with her was her personal possessions. She would be traveling very lightly. Everything, everything would have to be cleaned she warned. The Coven would be coming to deal with the situation. She would stay for that but then she would be leaving. Don’t trust them. Don’t trust them at all. 

She moved them back to the part of the market over the Bookstore and Café listened to the plans that Chris had already been talked to about. Some were his but more were coming from the customers. They were astonishingly invested in having a place where they could go and have a sense of community and companionship. 

She had a few suggestions but not many. Mainly she listened, smiling as they told her about their plans and hopes. The customers were not the only ones looking for a sense of community and companionship. They were not the only ones finding it within a brick building and hearts that were opening. Warming with the flame that had arrived with a woman and child. She was sure that the Flame would be protected. She was finally free to leave. After a very long period of service. Hers had been to serve. She had finished her task. She was free. Free to finally return to the home of her heart. 

She was so very grateful.


	36. Chapter 36

It was Earthday. Finally. Brigid had slept in. It was wonderful. She could tell that the others were up and moving around. She was too curious and a bit too excited to stay in bed. She had a moment of panic when she couldn’t find Alex anywhere in the apartment. The door was slightly open. Just on the verge of panic she walked out into the hallway and could hear his voice coming from Melissa’s. His voice and the smell of something wonderful from her open doorway. She went back in and got dressed. 

Being fed by someone that liked to cook was a great way to start the day. Alex had left a ‘note’ on the table. She had missed it. It was a stick figure of him and one of Melissa handing him food. It worked for him. Couldn’t she read it? He decided that he needed to go and help the other boys in response to the look that she gave him for that question. He was one smart little boy. 

Melissa was snickering. “It’s a pity that the big boys can’t read a woman’s body language so well or so fast.” 

Brigid just leaned back in her chair. “He’s gaining self-confidence and coming out of his shell. It’s wonderful. I am sure that there will be reason for him to decorate that corner but right now I think it’s wonderful.” She shifted forward and whispered to Melissa “It’s Earthday.” 

Melissa went along and leaned forward to whisper back. “Yes it is.”  
“We don’t have to think about the Coven or the wacko witches. We don’t have to wonder if we have enough people to make this work. What are we even doing? Today isn’t a worry day. It’s a play day. .”  
“Yes and you also know that we are going to end up wandering around planning and talking about the stores and what we want to do.”  
“Yes. But we have a choice and that makes it okay. Let’s get downstairs and see what the others are doing. I don’t want to miss out on any playtime.” The dishes were already done. She took her drink and scampered carefully toward the door.  
Melissa cracked up laughing then followed her with her drink. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melissa and Brigid had just walked into the Café when there was a tapping on the door. They both jumped. Dean came from the back surprised and curious. The businesses had never been open on Earthday. Why was someone knocking on the door? 

There was a young man standing at the door. He had a picnic basket and a folder in his hand. He waved and motioned them to come outside. 

Melissa was curious enough to unlock the door and step outside. Dean was right behind her and Brigid stayed just inside. He had been standing at an angle. Once he turned to face them they could see the scrapes and bruises on the side of his face. 

“What the fuck?” Dean reached out to touch. He wasn’t surprised when the guy flinched back. He was startled into raising both hands when a very cold voice came from behind him. “I would thank you not to touch him.” 

The guy leaned to the side to look around Dean. “Aunt Tory he’s one of the good guys and you know it. He was just going to check out the damage. It’s not his fault that I’m a little head-shy.” 

Melissa’s jaw dropped slightly as the woman moved around Dean and nearer to the young man, evidently her nephew. It was one of what Brigid had called the Steel Magnolias. There was a lot of cold steel and very little magnolia at the moment. 

“We will be speaking of this.”  
“No we won’t. I am working on getting a new job with these nice people that really don’t want to be involved in my personal problems with a few assholes.”  
“What kind of personal problems and what assholes?” Dean was looking them both over. 

The guy just closed his eyes and sighed. “Hello, my name is Max. A couple of friends of mine said that the owner of the Café was interested in adding to her staff. I had sent some things that I baked with them before and they had gotten a very favorable reception. This basket contains a sample of what I can do and this is my resume. I am very interested in a position at this fine establishment.”  
“You talk pretty.” Dean commented. Melissa hit him. “Owww, what was that for? He does!” He turned to Max. “You’ve just seen me get hit by a girl. Who nailed you and why?”

Tension tightened the broad shoulders. He was about the same height as Sam. He had a muscular build without being overblown. “It was four guys.” He looked at his aunt. “It’s a bit difficult to be bad-ass when you are wet and naked because you were in the shower when you got jumped. There was a fair amount of falling going on and it wasn’t all mine.”  
“That is acceptable then.”  
Dean looked over at her admiringly. “I think I really like you. You’re cool for a human.” 

Max shook his head and offered the basket to Melissa. She surveyed him then turned and urged Brigid into the Café. “Come in and let’s talk. Starting with why you were fighting in the shower.”  
“I didn’t start it.” He was quick to say. “I’m not a trouble maker.”  
“You finish it?” Dean was more interested in that fact.

Max followed Melissa in and the rest followed him. “I was convincing that they needed to bring more to the fight the next time. It only cost me my job but that was a minor consideration at that point in time.”  
“Agatha is entering negotiations about the market upstairs. I am sure that something will be suitable for you.”  
“Agatha?”  
She raised a brow at him. “I am not in the habit of repeating myself. Has the blows to your head effected your hearing.”  
“Hey. That’s mean!” Brigid stepped between the two of them and glared at Aunt Tory. It would have been more threatening if she hadn’t been about a head or more shorter than either of them.  
Max put a gentle hand on Brigid’s shoulder. “It’s fine. The more worried she is the more she snarks and snarls. She loves me. I’m her favorite nephew.” 

Aunt Tory’s shoulders sagged. “That stupid gym was an asinine place to get you a job. I told them to send you to Chef school.”  
“And I did get to go to cooking school. I learned a great deal about diet and nutrition. It was about the best the family could do considering that they didn’t want it to get out that I was something of a girly-boy.”  
Dean looked at the guy’s groin. “Huh, you missing something or am I?”  
Melissa and Brigid both smacked him.  
“That is really going to convince a guy that has just had the shit beat out of him that he wants to work here. Might want to ease up on the hitting.”  
“If I thought it was actually making some sort of impression I might. Of course you do have a point.” Brigid motioned him over to the table. “Here put that down. Melissa will look at your resume and see what you have brought. I’m going to go and get Stiles.”  
“But…”  
“Max. Sit.”  
He sat.  
She looked so pleased with herself. “Cool. Mommy voice works when they get taller than you are too.” She left to go and get Stiles on that note.  
He waited till she was out of sight before he muttered. “I was taller than she was when I was thirteen.”  
“Yeah well. Your ass still hit that chair on command.”  
“Let’s see your resume.” Melissa took charge of the conversation.  
“More important. What’s in the basket. It smells good!” Dean opened the lid and started pulling things out.  
Melissa just glared briefly. She was reading. “Wait. What did you just pull out? Give that here.”  
Dean handed her the wrapped pastry.  
She opened it and broke a piece off. She tasted it and moaned. “Mother Night, if I’m not getting sex this will do.” She took another bite. “Hell, it’s better than some of the sex I’ve had.”  
Dean reached over and broke off a piece. He looked intrigued and doubtful. He tasted it. His eyes got very wide. He looked at Melissa and she looked back.  
Melissa looked at Max. “You start tomorrow. We will look at what I have on hand and you can tell me what I need to get for the Better-than-sex-scones. Do you share your recipes?”  
“Uh. Nobody’s ever asked that before. It’s not proprietary. I just fiddled with a recipe that I liked until it tasted more like what I had in mind.”  
“He will need a place to stay. Are there any available in the Courtyard?”  
They all looked at Aunt Tory. She regarded Max. “Your father will shit. You are living too near the gym. That isn’t acceptable.” 

“Oh damn, something smells freaking amazing!” Stiles came over to the table nose in the air slightly as he was hunting what smelled so good. He caught sight of Max and his attention shifted. “Right. Stand up. Shirt off.”  
Max looked at him most startled. “Pardon?”

Stiles blinked and looked at Dean. “Where did he come from? He talks pretty.”  
Dean shrugged. “No idea. He can cook. He took on four guys for that. Wet and naked in the showers. We’re keeping him.”  
“Cool.” Stiles shifted his attention to Max. “Yes, I am a fully trained Black Widow. I am proficient in healing. Even humans. Up so I can check out the damage.”  
“I did see a healer.”  
“Name and place?”  
“It was at the Clinic. I really don’t remember the name. There was this swarm of them. They were training.”  
Stiles looked at him. “That was better than nothing at all but not by much. Now you get to be checked out by me. You are one of ours. UP!”  
Max stood then glared at Stiles.  
Who just smiled sweetly at him. “Shirt off.”  
Max gave in. He eased his shirt off.  
Stiles walked around him first just looking. “Pissing blood?”  
“Not really.”  
“The answer is either yes or no. Pissing blood?”  
“Yes.”  
“Color?”  
“Not much. Pale pink. Mainly heavy bruising. The worst is the headache.”  
“You are getting the hang of this. I’m going to touch you now.” Stiles ran his fingers over the bruises and scrapes. He had Max sit again to look at his head. “You have any sensitivities or allergies?”  
“Not that I know of.”  
“I am going to give you something to take the edge off of the pain. It will make you slightly drowsy probably. You will be staying where I can keep an eye on you. I’ve got some lotion that will help. I’ll be back. Get him out of the sun and somewhere quiet and less bright.” 

“Come on. There’s a couch in the Bookstore that is comfortable. It’s in the back. Ugly as anything. Wonder if we can get the Sewing club to make a cover? I bet if we put it in their area they would take care of it. But anyway. Come on. You can lay down there.” 

Aunt Tory watched Stiles arrive back and follow along behind them. She looked at Melissa and Brigid. “What is the plan for my nephew? You said he has a job. Where will he be living?”

Brigid looked at Melissa. Melissa regarded Aunt Tory. “He’s ours. Dean has claimed him and Stiles accepted his claim.”  
The woman stiffened. “What exactly does that entail?”  
Brigid smiled slightly. “Nothing bad. Dean takes in strays. He’s a little less strayish than the usual but the idea is the same. They took me and my son in. I don’t regret it for a minute. He’ll be fine.”  
Melissa spoke up. “My part is that he has a job here. He will be paid well. I’m not sure what Stiles and Dean have in mind. I’m sure it’s something.”  
“And you think that because?”  
“They both have that ‘up to something’ look. Don’t ask. Experience. They have some idea that they are figuring out that has to do with what to do with him. He falls neatly into something that they have in mind. We just need to wait till the boys get finished hammering things out between them. I’m thinking that Sam, Scott and Chris will be involved before it is all over. This should be interesting.” She started pulling the rest of the items out of the basket. “If you want any of the Better-than-sex you better eat it before Dean comes back.” 

Tory shook her head. “He made a couple for me the other day.”  
Brigid and Melissa split what was left. Brigid looked at the older woman. “So. Aunt Tory. Tell us about yourself? We might as well get to know each other. I have the feeling we will be seeing a good deal of each other.”  
“You could be very correct. In fact, I’m sure of it. Agatha was all excited about her new project. I slid out of the room before she could involve me but it was only a temporary respite. Very well, I’ll start.” 

They sat in the warm sunlight and had tea, treats and conversation.


	37. Chapter 37

Max drank the tea and managed not to flinch much when Stiles rubbed the heavy lotion on him. He wasn’t used to being touched much anymore. Not kindly anyway. Roughly to prove that they were manly, yes. Tenderly … not so much. They put him on the couch with a cool cloth over his eyes. 

“So we have some new plan now?”  
“This is Max. He took on four guys at the gym where he worked because they jumped him in the shower. He is working for Melissa now. He cooks.”   
“Melissa is calling it Better-than-sex scones.”  
There was silence in the room. But it was a bright, hot, hunger silence.   
“I only brought the one. I have more but they are back at my apartment. I just baked a small variety to show what I could actually do. I am going to be looking for a new place to stay because it is too near the gym and they don’t care for my kind there.”  
“Uh, they are human. You’re human. What kind does that leave?”  
“I prefer my own sex.”   
There was dead silence in the room this time. Max took the cloth off of his face and sat up. If there was going to be a problem he wanted to see it coming.   
Dean looked at him confused. “You like your dick?”  
Chris looked more thoughtful “And that’s a problem?”

Max had to laugh. “No. That means I prefer males.”  
The other males in the room just looked at him. Waiting. They glanced at each other. They knew that was supposed to have meant something to them. Supposed to have being the operative word. 

Chris shrugged. “It’s usually safer to stay as far away from females as possible. They can be…cranky.”

Max was beginning to wonder if he hadn’t stumbled on some significant differences in thinking between Human and Other. “For sex. I prefer to have sex with males rather than females.” 

The heads in the room tilted in a rather lupine gesture at his statement. “Is this a human thing?”  
“Preferring to have sex with the same gender? I guess. I don’t know enough about Other society to make a conclusion as to its prevalence.”  
“No. It being a problem.”  
Max’s mouth dropped slightly. “It’s not a problem?”  
“The males are of age, right?”  
“Of course!”  
“Willing?”  
Max kind of sputtered.   
“Willing then. So. It’s one of those weird human things. We’re not human. Not our problem.”

Max just sat there looking at them. That was it. His sexuality which he had hidden for most of his life due to pressure from family and friends, was just a human quirk. No big deal. 

“So I was thinking that he needs a place to live. There is that apartment on the market floor. It would be helpful to have someone there. I know that he is going to be cooking but… It gives us someone that is going to know what they are dragging in up there. Going to be available to keep an eye on things. That’s the one on Melissa’s end. There is one on the Herb Store end too. I was thinking Sam and Dean could stay there after we get things taken care of. He needs a place to stay quicker.” Stiles looked around the room. “The Coven isn’t going to stop being a problem. They aren’t just going to go away. We can throw people out at night and I can raise the wards. I can keep people out. We need a plan for when they are already inside.” He looked at Max. “Maybe I better tell you about this before you decide this is better.” 

Max listened wide eyed as Stiles, Dean and Chris filled him in on what was going on with the Coven. Teyla was leaving and they would be expanding to the other store. How agreeing to the job and moving in was going to consume his life for…some unknown amount of time. Was he still fine with that? He could back out with no hard feelings.

Max leaned back against the back of the couch and thought. “I’m tired of being afraid.” 

They nodded understanding. “You can find somewhere else to live. Did you still want the job?”

“No. I’m in. All the way. I’m tired of living in fear of what might happen. Tired of keeping my head down and my mouth shut. Never interacting with anyone. Never saying what I really think. Tired of not being myself. Pretending and hoping not to be noticed. Well I did all of that and some assholes jumped me in the shower anyway. I don’t know why. I do know that when they came at me, I stopped being afraid. I was going to do what I had to do. If I was going down, I wasn’t going alone. I was going to make it worth something. I was going to make sure that it cost them. I knew my job was gone. Where I was living was gone. They were going to hurt me. I doubted that they were going to kill me but they did intending on hurting me. So I was in a fight I didn’t want and didn’t start. But I was determined to finish.” 

He looked at them. “I’m just another strange human to you. You don’t care who I am attracted to sexually. You are concerned that I can cook and I can fight and will fight if it comes down to it. I can live with that. I’m in.” 

Chris looked at him thoughtfully. He nodded. “Rest up till the headache goes away. You will need it.” He pulled a blanket out of a basket beside the couch and motioned for Max to stretch out and covered him up. They left one lamp burning. Stiles rewet the cloth and put it back over Max’s eyes. “Go ahead and sleep if you can. We will go to your apartment later and get some if not all of your things. They may be willing to fuck with you by yourself. The four of us, it would be doubtful. Chris will stay here to keep an eye on the girls. I’ll gather everyone together and we will clean that apartment over Melissa’s. Even if you decide to move later, it will work for now.” 

Stiles left Max alone in the dim light of the room. Thinking. This wasn’t what he had expected when the girls had told him about Melissa looking for more help cooking. This certainly wasn’t how he had ever envisioned his weekend going. It turned out better than he could have dreamed.


	38. Chapter 38

Stiles and the other males hunted up Melissa. She, Brigid, Lydia, Morgana, Allison and some other woman were in the apartment looking it over and cleaning. Alex had the low stuff. 

The males looked at the number females in the small area. Stiles asked the question “Do we really want to be trapped in that small of a space with them?”  
Chris had the answer “We ask them where they want us and what they want us to do. More than likely they will find us something somewhere else. But it will be their idea which will make it much better than if we just slink out. Let them tell us to go away and then they can’t bitch, much, when we do.” 

Max was watching and listening. It wasn’t the way he was used to men dealing with women. He could certainly see how it would work better though. 

They were sent to retrieve Max’s things from where he was currently staying. 

“That’s a great idea. We will just get out of your way then.” Chris led the group away.  
Stiles was frowning. “You going with us?”  
“You want to tell that group that you don’t think they can take care of themselves?”  
It was thought about for a matter of seconds.  
“Great. The more of us the quicker it will go. We need to get something to put his stuff in. I have empty totes now. That takes care of the packing it. How are we going to get it here?”  
“I have an idea. Let me make a couple of calls.” They waited while Chris talked to a couple of people. He arranged a moving van. It arrived, they loaded the totes and took off. The van came with a driver which was really good. It was much bigger than any of them were used to driving. 

They got attention as soon as they got out. The driver would stay with the moving van. Max led them up the stairs to his apartment on the second floor. There were a number of young men in the hallway visiting each other. Watching. A couple flexed muscles toward the group. 

Chris moved forward. He growled long and low. It was a primal warning. The young men found somewhere to be and something else to do. 

They looked around the apartment. It was the bare minimum. 

“It came furnished. The only furniture that I have is my bed and a couple of lamps. The baking stuff is mine of course. I was going to leave most of the food and buy again. I have my last paycheck. I can cash it when the bank opens. Most of these guys are living hand to mouth. They will appreciate the food. The things that I baked are on the counter in plastics. I don’t want to have to try to haul eggs, or flour. My spices and things I will take.”  
Max walked them through the small one bedroom apartment and pointed out what was going and what was staying. 

It didn’t take long to pack it all up. Stiles turned up his nose at most of the supplies in the bathroom. “No. Just no. Sorry man, that shit stinks. Leave it. I’ll set you up when we get back. Believe me not a problem.”  
Max hesitated. “I have a paycheck from the Gym. It will need to stretch till I get paid at the Café.”  
Stiles looked slightly confused. He looked at Chris who had dealt with human employees more than he had.  
“Are you going to ask him to pay for what you are replacing?”  
“What? No! Seriously no. Not bringing that shit is doing us a favor. No. You don’t pay for it. I don’t deal much with the Magpies. The Herbal part of the store is new. But they should go home with food every night. They get fed while they are working. I really doubt that Melissa makes them pay for it. I’m not sure how often she pays but Chris pays us every night. Cash. We pay in cash. Don’t worry about the body supplies. I’m going to set you up when we get back. You can chose which one you like but it will be something that we can all stand to be around so you don’t stink. And honestly, we are washing your clothes when we get back. If it can be washed, we are washing it. I have supplies.”  
Chris interrupted. “There is a washer and dryer on that floor.”  
Stiles gave a sigh of relief. “Lugging laundry is a bitch. Even for Wolfgard. That will make things so much easier. Just drag the stuff out and put it in the totes.”  
“Okay. I have a question.”  
They looked at him. Finally Dean prompted. “Asking the questions helps.”  
Max opened his mouth, changed his mind about what he was going to say and closed it. After a couple of seconds he asked “Why do you call them Magpies?”  
Stiles hung his head. “My bad. When they started I couldn’t remember their names or which one was which. It was Mag-something and Mag-something other. I just called them the Magpies when I talked to Scott about them. He dealt with them more but not that much more. They don’t like males much. They are great workers and do fine with the customers. They do fine with Melissa. They do their job and are out the door as soon as they are finished. Which is fine. But it gives me no reason to learn anything about them.”  
Scott shrugged. “It worked for me. Calling them Magpies. They are pretty much always close to each other. I can’t remember which one was which. I called them Maggie-Margie for a couple of weeks. I got side eye every time I did. I asked Stiles to start dosing them up with CalmingTea. It got better. They don’t exactly like me but they aren’t actually afraid of me which helps.”  
“How do you know they don’t like you?”

All of the Others looked at him with a faint expression of surprise and confusion. “Oh. He’s Human. You know they can’t smell for shit. Otherwise they wouldn’t spray themselves with piss and call it perfume.”  
The rest nodded with Stiles’ conclusion. 

“Wait. What?”  
Stiles looked at him thoughtfully. “Don’t ever try to lie to an Other. Your scent changes with your emotions. We can smell it. Fear and panic tend to arouse hunting instincts. Anxiety is annoying but ignorable. Dislike is has a kind of bitter smell. The nasty kind. Attraction is fine. It’s kind of like a neat puzzle to figure out. It's kind of light and fleeting. Where is it and who is it kind of puzzle. Arousal is kind of personal. It depends.”  
Max’s freckles stood out a little better. “Arousal depends on what?”  
Dean tilted his head and moved closer. Max almost gave ground. Dean moved around behind him and put his nose close to Max’s neck and shoulder. “The kind where you get the feeling that they want to own your ass is … annoying. But then that is more like what I would call lust. They just want to fuck or be fucked and really don’t care about anything else. Don’t care much for that usually.”  
“Good to know.”  
“You find me attractive. There are flashes of arousal. Not much and not often. You are wrapped too tight for much to get out. Uneasiness is expected after what happened the other day. There is no outright panic and fear. That’s why Brigid and Alex deal better with the Wolfgard than the Magpies do. The Magpies are slightly afraid. Even now. Brigid and Alex are wary. Cautious. Curious.” He looked at Chris. “They can be afraid sometime times but…”  
Chris tilted his head considering. “They aren’t afraid of us personally. They don’t flash fear. Alarm is closer.” He in turn looked over at Scott.  
“She wasn’t afraid of me. She has never been afraid of me. It was more the fact that she suddenly had an unknown male in her space till she imprinted on me than she was afraid of me.”  
“Imprinted? Isn’t that what baby ducks do?” Max was so out of his element.  
The Others laughed. Scott answered. “It is all that I know to call it. She knows it’s me now. If I come up behind her suddenly she knows it is me. Not the soon to be ex. Not some male whose intentions are unknown to her. She knows it’s me. Scent? Energy? Sound? I am not sure. What she can pick up on is much less than I can in some ways. But, I’m thinking that she has me beat in others.”  
Stiles looked curious. “Yes, we need to get out asses in gear but tell me about that?”  
“She… reads…. People quicker and better than I do. It’s like she is tuned in more and gets the messages that are faint and fuzzy to me. It’s not just a girl thing. The Magpies don’t do it at all. Alex has the friend/ not-friend part of it down. Actually, it’s always been highly developed. And he’s male. He has her cuddly too.”  
Sam spoke for the first time. “Her…cuddly? What the hell is a…cuddly?”  
“OOOHHHH. Yes. When she relaxes against you. Like she did that time. Her…guard comes down with you. She’s warm. A nice kind of warm spot on a cold day type feeling. Yeah, I know what you mean. Hers is stronger than Alex’s but she’s older.”  
Chris looked very thoughtful all of the sudden. “I was close by when the Coven Stupid happened. Allison launched herself at Brigid. Brigid didn’t flash fear. It was more like what the fuck are you DOING? Allison tackled her into the room and shoved her in a corner out of the way. I grabbed Alex and slid him to her on his ass. He was startled as hell but then it went to a kind of … wheeee, cool, do it again… you are right. They were never afraid of us. There was a great deal of fear in the room from some of the other humans. But it calmed surprisingly quickly. That’s just…odd.” 

Stiles nodded. He looked around. “It’s getting later. As informative and fascinating as this is, we need to get our asses in gear and get back to the Courtyard. I don’t like being here anymore than we are wanted here.” He moved toward the bedroom to strip the bed and start breaking it down. 

Max felt the tip of Dean’s nose rubbing lightly against his neck. It went up to near his ear and there was the very tip of tongue that tasted him. “Just to make things fair since you can’t smell or you wouldn’t be wearing half the crap you have doused yourself with, I’m attracted to you to.” There was the hint of teeth on the rim of his ear then Dean moved off. 

The room looked at him in amusement as his heartbeat ratcheted up. The words were out before he could censor them. “Bugger off.”  
From the snickers they might not have understood the term but the message came through clearly. How was this his life that a group of Wolfgard thought being told to fuck off was funny. It could be worse. Much worse but still. 

He was going to keep some space between him and Dean. He was going to get his apartment cleared out, over to the Courtyard and into his new apartment and evidently wash everything he possessed including himself. It would be doubtful he would have company for cleaning and doing laundry. They would go off and do what they had planned for the day. He would be left alone. He could just deal till then. He would have lots of privacy to have his mini-meltdown over all of the sudden changes that had been thrown at him. He would be left alone. It had been that way for a very long time. He was used to it. Being alone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A small woman with titan red hair was rubbing his back lightly and soothingly. “You get used to it. It’s actually kind of nice. You don’t have to be alone unless you want it and throw them out. Or lock the door. Though…that doesn’t always work. They do know to respect a closed bathroom door.” Brigid colored up. “They do now anyway.”

That had to be an interesting story. Almost as interesting as what happened when they had arrived back at the Courtyard. 

His things were brought up to the apartment and put down outside the door in the market area. His clothes and bedding had been separated and taken to the laundry area. He was more than a little startled to see two washers and two dryers. He started to do his own laundry. He was gestured away. Scott had been pulled into helping a dark-haired young woman he called Allison. He evidently liked her. She seemed to like him back. It was hard to tell with girls. She certainly felt free to boss him around. He took it with better grace than any guy Max had been around lately. But then most of them had been more macho than manly. 

Stiles hadn’t been joking. As his things had come out, they were being wiped down. He was beginning to pick up on the smell. He had never been fond of tobacco, but he knew people that were. He had been in their places and knew how the scent lingered and not in a good way. Whatever they had cleaned the place with smelled really good. There was this thing in one corner on a shelf. It was putting out a very fine either mist or steam. 

His bed had been wiped down and his box-springs and mattress sprayed with something and then put in the middle of the market area propped up against a column to air our and dry. It had freaked him out when he had glanced out the door and seen Stiles doing something that made black flames dance over his bed. But then they had been absorbed, and he just wasn’t thinking about that and he hadn’t seen any scorch marks when he had wandered over casually later to check it out. Stiles had just smirked at him. 

He was wearing down. He was starting to hurt and his headache was coming back. Straight up the back of his skull in little spikes. He closed his eyes against the sun that was streaming in the too-clean windows. 

He started back into the body behind him when he opened his eyes. His new boss was standing in front of him. “We are going to take a break and eat. He needs curtains for his windows. Stiles he is squinting again.” She moved off and started herding everyone downstairs. “We can fix something at the Café. It will be the easiest. Bring him down when you get finished with him.” 

Max felt his jaw drop slightly at that statement. He could hear and feel Dean snickering behind him.  
Stiles moved closer and reached around and smacked Dean lightly. “Give him a break. He’s got to feel like shit. He’s human with human healing. I’ll get him some tea. Don’t creep him out because I want you staying with him tonight. I’m going to give him something stronger later when we smear him down put him to bed. I want someone close just in case. Do you think that you can eat or would you just puke it back up till we get the headache eased?”

Dean was very warm. His hands were warm which felt pretty good rubbing the back of his neck. Max began to relax. 

“I think I can take the edge off. That should make it easier for the tea to work. We will be down in a few. Sit in that chair and let me see how this works on you. Sammy used to get headaches. I used to be pretty good at this.” Dean took him by the arms and steered him to a kitchen chair. 

Max was surprised how good the touch felt as Dean worked on him. The tension was fading and the pain was easing as well. 

“Kinda what I thought. Part of it was the knock to the head. The other is you carry your tension in your shoulders like Sammy. He hunches. Your muscles are protesting being put through more shit and making your head hurt worse. Just relax. I got this.” 

As the tension and pain faded, so did the will to stay on his feet. He was so tired.

“There is a couch over in the corner of the market. It’s in a little cubby so it’s not dark but it’s shaded. I’ve crashed there. Pretty comfortable. Wanna go over there and I’ll bring your tea and something for you to eat? You can crash after you get that down. 

Max was torn between letting Dean just take care of everything and standing on his own feet and not relying on anyone. 

“Tension’s back. Okay. Downstairs it is then.” Dean steadied him as he got to his feet. Guided him to the stairs and shadowed him down. They were eating in a quiet cool corner of the Café. He drank his tea and ate the sandwich that was handed to him. He was in one of those suck you in and don’t let go chairs. He finished his tea and food. He was going to just put his head back for a little while. 

“He finally out?”  
“Yep. More stubborn than a two-year-old at bedtime.”  
“If we move around normally and work down here he will probably stay asleep.”  
They got up and began working on the tasks around the building that they had in mind when they got up that morning. Tidying, inventory, restocking and brainstorming. Max slept soundly through it all. 

The human quietly eating at a nearby table was…surprised and impressed. None of his friends or family had ever taken care of Max so matter-of-factly or so well. She had sort of hoped that he might find acceptance here and a sort of friendship. Agatha had mentioned that there was an oddly Other sense of community and companionship. One that humans craved whether they admitted it or not. Pack. It might be that. The Wolfgard gave the humans their first experience in what it was to be Pack of a sorts. There were flaws and dangers but what was offered more than made up for those things. She sipped her tea and wondered how she could graciously let Agatha know she had been correct. Maybe she would just let Aggie find out for herself and put off the gloating as long as possible. 

She was now firmly behind Agatha’s little project. She had been convinced of many things today. Many revelations and more to come she was sure.


	39. Chapter 39

Max slept for several hours. Brigid came by and put a light blanket over him. He stirred slightly at the sudden weight. She ran her fingers through his short blondish hair. “You can have five more minutes.” She said very quietly near his head. She stroked till he shifted and went back to sleep. 

Tory was working nearby. “Five more minutes till what?”  
Brigid shrugged. “If I tell Alex to go back to sleep he will wake all the way up. But somehow it happened that I told him he could have five more minutes and he went back to sleep. It’s how I get him back to sleep if he has a bad dream and doesn’t wake all the way up. It was worth a try and it worked.” She went back to what she had been doing. 

Aunt Tory had left not long after that. Max would be fine. She needed a little distance. The younger males called her AuntTory like it was a name. She had never been close to her family. Max was more the exception than the rule. She needed to have a bit of privacy to decide how to deal with the situation. He would be in good hands. She was sure of that as she took her leave.

Max woke as someone sat close to him. He sat up and asked “What time is it?”  
“Seven.”   
“Seven?” That meant that he had been asleep in the chair for about five hours.   
“Yep. Melissa wants to stuff food down you again. We ate. She just knows you are about to waste away from lack of food. She went back upstairs, with all the girls. They are doing beauty something. We are down here hiding.”  
Max frowned. He sat up a bit straighter. He didn’t hurt. Not considering how he had felt this morning. His headache was gone. “Can I have something to drink? Something that won’t put me out?”  
“Sure. I’ll get you some water.”   
Stiles got up and came back with water and some sort of soup. That smelled and tasted delicious.   
“This is good! We serve this?”   
Dean, Sam and Scott wandered over. They snickered at the question.   
“Chris made it while Melissa was messing with something else. It snarks her out because he won’t tell her what’s in it. I mean you can tell some of it but he won’t give her the recipe.”  
“Oh family secret?”  
Stiles face lit up as he laughed. “No just Chris yanking her tail. He’s actually a pretty good cook. He can’t bake worth a damn and should be forbidden from trying but he is bad-ass at soups, casseroles and stuff.”   
“Forbidden from trying? Why?”  
“He set off the smoke alarm. Those things we used in the slingshots. Oh damn, those cookies. Those were bad! I don’t know how he fucked those up. The man can’t bake. Allison learned that if she wanted cookies she either came to Melissa or did it herself. We won’t even mention pies and cakes. I don’t know that he’s ever tried but if he did he buried the evidence…deep. Very deep.”   
Max found himself grinning. They found it hysterically funny. But it wasn’t mean. He looked around. “Where is the little dude?”

“So sad. Such a tragedy. Somehow he got sucked up in the girlfest. We thought about mounting a rescue. We looked at the odds. Conceded the field. They were doing fingernails anyway. He likes his nails done. I think Allison finally located the gold stuff to put over the other polish and they were going to do some…painting, painting? Designs I mean. He was all excited.”   
Max looked at them in astonishment. “And you are fine with him getting his nails painted?”

The room chilled slightly. “You have a problem with it?”  
Max blinked. “No. No. I guess not.”  
“You guess not isn’t the same as no.”  
Max sighed. “It’s not like he goes to school. They will pick on him and bully him for stuff like that. They can be…cruel. You might..you might make it something for.. I don’t know what to make it to keep it private so they won’t pick on him and still not make him ashamed.”   
“Like you were?”  
Max flushed. “I learned quickly.”  
“Not to be a girly-boy?”  
Max was finished eating. He picked up his glass and plate and started to take them to the kitchen.   
Dean caught him and restrained him easily. “Is that what you meant? Girly-boy? Liking fingernail polish. Maybe pretty things? I don’t deal THAT much with humans. I have watched their movies and read some of their books. There is male stuff and there is girl stuff. Girls like pink and dolls. Boys like blue and trucks.”  
Max relaxed only slightly. “And Wolfgard?”  
“I played with dolls. I practiced bathing, feeding and changing the baby. Discovered that practicing with a doll was nothing like dealing with a real baby brother. I got peed on and learned to move real quick. Diapering was harder than it looked. Duct tape is not an option to keep it on if there are females around. They get ALL bent out of shape about it. They eat too fast when you put them on your shoulder they puke allll down your back. Forget the spit towel. You need a tarp for some of the little fuckers. Do NOT bounce them if you don’t know the last time they ate. It can get messy. And smelly. You know the real reason most of that is left to the charge of the females?”  
Max blinked. “Not really?”  
“They are tougher. Stronger stomach and much better nerves. Males tend to wimp out too quick when they are young.”   
Dean used his body to put Max into motion. “Chris has always been the one to do Allison’s hair. Victoria kept her hair about as short as Chris’. She didn’t want to fool with long hair. She told Allison once she got a certain age that if she wanted to have long hair then she was going to have to take care of it. Allison got help from her grandmother, Chris’ mother. By the way, Chris was very much a Mama’s boy. He spent much more time with her than he ever did his father. He loved his father. He just preferred his mother’s company. Nothing was said. He learned what he needed to learn. And did it very fucking well. He is a capable, vicious fighter. His Mama taught him how to fight. 

In fact, before she started getting sick in a throw-down between Chris’ mother and his father. I’d put my money on her coming out on top. He had her on strength and mass but she was… there was just no quit in her. She was elegant, gracious and utterly ruthless. She was a take no shit and no prisoners kind of woman. She and Chris spoke French to each other which just irritated Gerard. Her family was from a different part than the Argents. It had the same name but it wasn’t the same language. I need to get Alex to get Chris to sing him a lullaby. You should have heard the two of them singing. Her name was Chantal which meant song. It pretty much destroyed Chris when she got ill and died. That was one tough woman. 

Probably not something that I should tell a human living with a bunch of Wolfgard. Sometimes there are fights. I don’t mean arguments. I mean knock-down-drag-out fights. Chris has an older sister. She was a Daddy’s girl so it was pretty equal.

Something happened around his mid-teens. Gerard pissed her off. Chantal. I don’t know what was said. No one really does. It was a Gathering. That means lots of family and people around. She went after him. She did a full shift and gave a damn good impression that she was going to take him out. It took two Alphas to pull her off of him. He was backing up dragging half his guts. If you want to tell me that females are weak or inferior…” 

Dean cupped Max’s astonished face. “I’d probably laugh in your face and let you piss off the group upstairs.” He stroked his thumb over Max’s parted lips. “I see no shame in liking some of the things that they like.” He watched as Max’s vibrant blue eyes darken. He leaned closer and whispered. “I also see no shame in running very fast and very far sometimes when they decide they want to share something they like with you.” He released Max’s face. Watched as he blinked rapidly and then flushed and looked around. 

Scott and Stiles were squabbling about something on a counter. Sam was watching leaning against the counter with arms folded and ankles crossed. There was an expression of patient resignation on his face. Like he had listened to the squabble more than once. 

It was like they didn’t notice or didn’t care. It was…different. Max cleaned his plate and glass then put them on the rack to dry. 

An odd sound caught their attention. Sam had Scott by the back of the shirt. “Stiles and Dean are going to take Max to sniff. You are coming with me to work on the laundry that hasn’t been done yet. Which is almost everything that I own. The humans get really uptight about wandering around in skin. So, since Allison has given you her stamp of approval, you get to get to help with laundry detail. Move.” Scott was fairly tall and muscular. Sam, on the other hand, was…big. He had heard Dean call him Samzilla. The name calling had continued from there till Brigid had called them by name. They has slunk off like swatted puppies. Hell hounds to be sure but puppies none the less. It had been..funny. 

“Oh. There is a shower in the bathroom. I have neutral bath products in that one. Dean’s close to your size. He has some sweats. Shower and put on the sweats he hasn’t worn. Then we can tell what you actually smell like.” Stiles put his hands on Max’s hips and urged him forward. 

“Pardon? What do you mean what I actually smell like?” Max sounded a tad offended.   
Stiles stopped and looked at him. “You have GOT to want to shower. You have all of these scents and stuff all over you. It’s kinda gross.”   
Max stiffened. “My apologies if I offend.”   
Stiles took hold of him again and moved him toward the bathroom. “I wasn’t being bitchy. No need to get all stick-in-the-ass about it. Shower. You will feel better. Then I can get an idea of what will smell good on you so I can get bathgel, shampoo, body lotion and cream. You will need shaving stuff. I’ve got something for you to brush your teeth with too. What am I forgetting. Nevermind. I’ll figure it out when we go downstairs. I need to go through what’s down there and get some stuff arranged and set aside. You think a suckup present to the Magpies will make them like us better? Probably not but I’ll do it anyway. You can give it to them. You can be our liaison or something. Melissa would just shit if they quit and it was just the two of you. Wow, I rhymed. Here you go.” He kind of pushed Max into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.   
Dean was quietly snickering. The flow of words had just kind of stunned Max into compliance. He wasn’t the only one snickering.   
Sam pulled a protesting Scott out of the room.   
Dean went and got the sweats Stiles had mentioned. He opened the door ignoring the squawk and sat them on the sink counter. Closed the door after flipping on the heat. 

He moved down to where Stiles was sitting on the floor. He sat beside Stiles so their bodies were touching. Stiles didn’t take to pushing. Not well. He could wait and it would eventually come out. What was going on in that uniquely special mind of his? It would be guaranteed to be interesting.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

“I’m beginning to understand why my father moved away to a different place. Beacon Hills has been kind of fucked up for a long time. There wasn’t that kind of training when I was growing up. Scott and I were kind of isolated from the other Wolfgard. Me because I didn’t have a wolf form, Scott because of his health problems. I sort of remember the Coven from when I was young. My mother didn’t get along with them. Chris’ mother loathed them and made absolutely no secret of it. She might have even been part in the decision for them to withdraw.

You and Dean moved around when you were growing up and saw other places and lived with other Wolfgard. Scott and I have only been here. It’s all I know. I am beginning to see..see things that I don’t like. 

It does help to understand why he left and he wants nothing to do with this place. It’s kind of like it has been tainted and the taint spreads. He has young children. Four, two and another on the way. They are much too vulnerable. It still hurts. But I can see his point of view. I am able to take care of myself. They aren’t. 

He shifted to put his head on Dean’s shoulder. “Now that I am really depressed. Let’s change the subject. He’s pretty isn’t he?”  
“What is it you have in mind?”  
“Nothing much. No big surprise there.”  
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”   
Stiles shrugged. “I thought he would be nice to get to know. This is nice. Having other guys to hang out with. For a long time it’s just been Scott and me. We are more like brothers than anything. Which is great. I just want..sometimes I want a friend.”  
“One that will put you first over the girl that has most of his body’s attention?”   
Stiles did a head waggle. “Allison intimidates me. Lydia has no time for me unless she wants something. Morgana is basically my student. They are the ones that don’t give me looks because I’m a male Black Widow and a Wolfgard that doesn’t shift.”   
“You shift. You just don’t go wolf.”   
“And that would make me an even bigger oddity.”  
“Meh, only to the weenies. It would weed them out pretty quick though.” Dean put an arm around the younger boy. “I get the idea though. Friends are good. He is going to be in there for a bit. He is finding out how good that hot water feels. Take a break. I gotcha.”   
Stiles slid down further and closed his eyes. It had been a long… day, week and year. He was tired.   
He was so tired of it all. A friend right now was… Someone he didn’t have to be strong for. Someone that could be strong for him for once.


	40. Chapter 40

Max opened the door and started to step out of the bath. He hesitated in the doorway. Stiles was asleep with his head in Dean’s lap. He looked vulnerable. So very fragile and young. Max met Dean’s gaze as Dean spoke. “He’s just tired. It’s been a crappy few days for him too.” The sound of Dean’s voice woke Stiles. He flailed a bit before he got his bearings. Dean had to help him to his feet. He leaned against the wall for a few seconds before he seemed to wake up all the way. 

He looked over at Max. Stiles straightened and moved in close enough that he could put his nose against the front of Max’s throat. Stiles was several inches shorter. He yawned and rubbed his face against the sweatshirt. Yawned again and rested his forehead against Max’s chest. They just stood there. 

It was odd and awkward and kind of endearing actually. Max was at something of a loss and Dean's smirking amusement didn't help.

Max finally put his arms around Stiles and rubbed his back. Stiles put his arms around Max in return and they kind of swayed in place. As if they were dancing to unheard musice. Finally it was like Stiles’ brain kicked in and he pulled back. He leaned back in and ran his face from one side of Max’s chest to the other. “You smell good now.” He yawned one more time. “I need something to drink. I’ll make us something then we can go downstairs.” 

They wandered in stops and starts to the Cafe kitchen which seemed to be the the group's after the doors closed for the evening. They made themselves free with whatever was there. Wrote what they used or ate on the board on the fridge and initialed. Max guessed there was some plan in place to account for everything. One more thing he was going to eventually learn. 

Stiles got busy measureing and mixing. Humming to himself.

What he came up with was some kind of mulled spice drink that was warming and soothing. That was good because they then headed downstairs. The Cavern that Stiles called his workroom was chilly. And it was huge with stacks and shelves of totes and stuff that he had no idea what it was or was used for. He may not want to know either. Max cradled his big mug in both hands as they wandered around in Stiles work cavern. If there was some sort of order it was known only to Stiles. He went through and gathered a bit of this and some of that. He seemed to have a plan. “This will work for the Magpies. It’s based on Serenity which is soothing and calming. It will help them with being anxious. Maybe. If it does, let me know and I’ll happily keep them supplied.” 

Max looked at the bottles and jars in the baskets. One for each girl. Stiles was generous. He sniffed some of the things. “This smells GOOD.” 

Stiles tilted his head. “You like that one?” He held up his hand. “Wait. I need to give you more to choose from. If my brain had been working I would have had you smell the Seven Scents. Oh well. Let me look.  
Lavender, Peppermint, Lemon, PainEase, Joyous, Purify and Serenity are the what got called the Seven Scents because I have tons of things in those scents. You just smelled Serenity. This should be familiar I’ve been smearing in on you in various intensities. PainEase. 

Max nodded when Stiles handed him the muslin bag. It did smell familiar. 

Stiles stopped digging. “I think my brain finally joined my body. Welcome, welcome, welcome brain. Glad to have you back. One scent a week then tell me which one you like the best. If it’s something that you know isn’t going to be your favorite like Peppermint or of course you aren’t going to want or need PainEase all the time then we can just move on to what would be next. For all I care you can continue to revolve through them. Sound good to you?”

Max looked at him rather surprised. “Uh sure. That would be great. Thanks!” He had managed to look at a few things in the Herbal section while he had been wandering around upstairs. He saw some of the prices. Reasonable prices considering that everything was 'handmade' but still it added up. Stiles was being very generous. 

“Serenity and PainEase smell good together. That would be my suggestion for this week. Okay?”  
“Yeah. Yeah. I. I really appreciate it.” Max looked down.  
Stiles moved in closer with a frown. “What’s wrong?” He put his hand on Max’s back. “If you don’t like something then you don’t like it. That’s fine. We can find something else.” Stiles shrugged.  
Max shook his head and pressed his lips together. All sorts of emotion bubbling up inside.  
“Oh.” Stiles voice was very gentle. “Yeah. That happens sometimes.” He rubbed Max’s back. “It’s part of using Herbals. Some of the things they work on aren’t all physical. Things break loose and bubble up. Usually at the most inconvenient time and place. It’s okay. Just excuse yourself and walk off till you can get your hold on the emotions again. I know that the Wolfgard won’t be in the least surprised when they smell the PainEase. They are the brunt of what comes into the stores. It is as familiar with the rest of the Other that come in. We will deal with the humans. It will be fine.”  
Max found his eyes welling with tears. “Fuuuck.”  
Dean joined them and put his arm around Max from the other side in silent support.  
“This is why I didn’t want you to be alone tonight. Or this week really. I refuse to let you be in pain when you don’t have to be. The PainEase helps the physical pain and speeds healing. You may heal quick for a human but compared to us you take for freaking ever. I have never treated you before either. There is always the chance that you will react to something in a way I didn’t expect. I can deal with it but I have to know that it’s happening. We will get through this. You ready to take your goodies and go back upstairs?”  
Max wiped his eyes. “Yeah. Sure. I’m good.”  
Stiles released him. “I’m going to get Dean to go ahead and take you up. I’m still digging for something I had in mind. He knows how to give a hell of a massage. He’s going to coat you in the PainEase and then you let it soak in before you put anything on. I don’t think that I need to give you any more of the HeadacheBlend. Do you think you need some?”  
“No. My head is tender where I smacked it on the floor but the headache is gone.”  
“Good. I’ll see you in the morning then.” Stiles leaned in and rubbed his face against Max’s.  
“Uh. Night.”  
Dean guided him out of the Cavern as he would think of it and back upstairs. These people were nothing, nothing like the stories he had hear about them. Were the stories that wrong or what he that much of a fool and would pay the price later? They were…good to him. He would be willing to pay a great deal for the care and consideration that he was getting now. The emotions were kicking his ass. He would be glad when the week was done and he felt more…stable. Hopefully, you never knew when life was going to kick your feet out from under you though. You just never knew.

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Being naked in a room, especially a bedroom with a guy that he didn’t know was awkward.  
When the guy was someone that you were attracted to and he was well aware of the fact it went beyond awkward. The only thing that made him not crawl under his bed in humiliation was the fact that Dean was so matter-of-fact about it.

He was so grateful that he still hurt and it kept him from getting an erection. That would just be the final blow. It is shockingly sensual and pleasurable. Dean’s hands were warm. Really warm and then the oil heated up as well. When Dean dug his thumbs in the bottom of his foot he nearly came off the bed.  
“Good or fuckow?”  
“I’m. Not sure.”  
“Gotcha.”  
Dean eased up slightly but that just sent sparks up from his foot. Max gritted his teeth determined to endure.  
“And that’s not the expression I was going for. I am trying to figure out your pressure and pain tolerances. Lighter isn’t better. Let’s go for a heavier touch.”  
That curled Max’s toes and made him catch his breath.  
“Think I got it now. Quit being so human and just relax and enjoy it.”  
Max put a pillow over his face and managed not to totally humiliate himself. It was a close thing.  
Dean finished and covered him with a sheet. He moved around shutting down and turning off lights.  
Max flinched slightly when he felt the bed sink and the pillow lifted off his face. It was the extra pillow on the bed.  
Dean yawned and put the pillow under his head and settled in for the night.  
“You don’t have pajamas?”  
Dean turned to face him in the semi-dark. “I’m under the sheet! No I don’t own a pair of pajamas.”  
“Oh.”  
Max couldn’t help but tense when Dean moved. Finally, after about an hour, Dean got up, gave him a good view of his attractions and shifted to wolf.  
Max’s breath caught with a wheeze. He rolled over slightly and curled into the pain of his sore ribs.  
The wolf made a soft sound.  
Max gave him an ages old gesture since his breath was occupied. The spasm eased and Max was able to open his eyes. “I can’t tell you how much doing THAT just made things better.”  
Wolf snot made such an eloquent retort as Dean sneezed on him.  
“That. Was disgusting.” Max looked at him. In Wolf form Dean was freaking huge. He was as far from the creature that humans called a wolf as a bonfire was to a match. “You’re lucky I didn’t piss the bed and we would have both had to find a place to sleep.”  
The massive head tilted. He got a kind of snort noise. Dean put one paw on the bed.  
Max looked him in disbelief. “On the bed? Are you serious?”  
He got the message very clearly that Dean did NOT intend to sleep on the floor.  
“Fine then. You shed and you are doing laundry tomorrow.”  
He got a highly offended look.  
The bed gave as Dean eased his way up and curled up.  
“You snore and you are sleeping on the couch.”  
The wolf snorted at him, put his tail over his nose and seemed to fall asleep.  
Max shifted around trying to get comfortable. He fell asleep listening to Dean breathe.

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Max had the amazing revelation that Stiles and Scott had the ability to be polite. Maggie and Margie were utterly thrilled to find that he was now working at the Café with them. Delighted. He had spent time with them but there had been other people around. He hadn’t been the sole focus of their attention. He would have to look it up but he was thinking that Magpies were very…vocal birds.

The menu was relatively simple. He had several periods where he could familiarize himself with the kitchen and where everything was and what was available. After the breakfast crowd, it was quiet. Stiles motioned him over and handed him the suckup basket.  
Max took it over to the girls and handed it to them. “This is from Stiles.”  
They looked at him cautiously. “Why?”  
He shrugged. “He tends to spoil the girls that work in the Bookstore with him. He thought it was only fair that he send something to you as well.”  
“But they are Wolfgard.”  
Max looked at them. Surprised. “Brigid and Alex are human.”  
They just looked at him.  
Well bugger. It looked like Stiles might be correct and they liked the job or needed it enough to tolerate the Wolfgard. They could work with them. They had no desire to socialize with them. No desire.  
Max sighed. “Fine. This is Serenity. He sent it for you to use. It will help the tension you feel surrounded by Wolfgard. If it works, let me know and I’ll tell him. He will probably know before I do though. He is willing to keep you supplied just to make things easier. He is being both generous and gracious. You could at least write him some sort of thank you note.”  
Melissa put her hand on his shoulder. The Magpies started in surprise. They hadn't realized that she was close enough to hear. “They do a good job. They deal well with the customers. We get along well enough. There is no reason that they would ever be required to spend their personal time with an employer. A note would be appreciated I’m sure. Other than that. Let it go.” She patted him and walked off.  
He comforted himself with the fact that he no longer had to deal with them chattering non-stop at him.

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Later that day, just after the lunch rush, he was taking an order out to a table to help the Magpies. It wasn’t till he sat the tray on the table that he looked at the customers. The familiar customers.

“Did the girly-boy get a new job now?”  
Max smiled politely. “Anything else?”  
“I guess woman’s work is more your thing that working at a gym. Right boys?”  
Max caught the males at the next table over. One of them cringed and shook his head. He could tell they were Wolfgard. Yes the customers he was dealing with were bodybuilders from the gym but he watched Sam and Dean load and unload his things. Move totes and generally fetch and carry for most of a day. He had a fair idea and that was all he really wanted of just how strong a Wolfgard was compared to a human.  
“I’m talking to you girly-boy.” The guy stood up to get in his space.

“You use the term girly-boy. You make being a female sound like it is inferior. Woman’s work is lesser and less important than male work.” The voice was feminine.  
Max glanced at the table on the other side. There were six women somewhere around their mid-twenties by his best guess. They were having desert of something chocolate.  
One of them stood. The males from the other table stood as well. The bodybuilders turned to face the threat. The males. One tall guy reached out and caught the back of Max’s shirt and pulled him to his body. He slung an arm over Max’s shoulder and down his chest in a hold meant more for comfort than restraint. “I hope you don’t have a weak stomach. This is going to be messy.” His voice was a bass that vibrated Max’s chest.  
“Uh. Not. Usually.”  
“I’m talking to you.” The delicate looking blonde stated.  
They bodybuilder’s response was a strangled sound of pain. She had him by the nuts. Firmly. “Now that I have your attention and the organ that you seem to use to think with, I’m going to point out some things and you are going to listen. Are you clear on that. Nod. Don’t speak. I have no interest in anything that comes on you or out of you at this point.”  
The guy nodded. The girls from the table stood. The other bodybuilders nodded rapidly as well.  
“I don’t like you. I don’t like what you say. I don’t like your attitude. I don’t like you near me talking about me as if I am not as good as you because I am female.” She surveyed him. “Gym. That fake place human males go with other human males to impress each other?”  
He started to open his mouth but only a squeaking sound emerged.  
“That’s a gym. They go and preen for each other. They are proud of their muscles.”  
“And they think what? How does that make them superior?”  
The Wolfgard looked around.  
Max answered. “Strength. They go to the gym to get stronger.”  
There were a number of sounds around the room. None of them were complimentary.  
“Strength is not muscles. Strength is not being an asshole to someone that is smaller or thought of as weaker. I am not even going to try to explain to you what strength is. I do not have the patience. I am done. You will leave. You may take your food and go. Do not come back. Preen and be stupid for the other males in your gym. You come here to our Courtyard and you will see that you are fragile and weak. You will break and you will bleed. Do you understand? Human Law Does Not Apply. I am tired of you. Go away.” She let him go, looked at her hand in disgust and headed for the public bathroom.  
The food was packed up quickly by the Wolfgard and the bodybuilders were escorted out of the building and to their vehicle. 

Max was still standing there slightly stunned being held by some strange Wolfgard and petted by another.  
“What’s a girly-boy?”  
Max sagged. Then he held his head up and said quietly “I prefer my own sex.”  
Every Wolfgard in the Café and a few that were near the Bookstore opening looked him. “The stinkyherb guy got all pissy because he likes his dick when stinky is so proud of his nuts?” Came the question from somewhere. They looked at Max for an explanation. The humans were giggling too much to even try to help.  
“That means I prefer to have sex with males rather than females.” He honestly expected the male holding him still to step back and away.  
Instead they nodded and patted him on the shoulder and back. “Yeah, if you piss off another male at least you have an idea of why and what you did. Or didn’t do.”  
The entire female table lift-lipped that comment and went back to their chocolate.  
And that was the end of their interest.  
The humans were looking around in bewilderment. Max shrugged and went ahead and volunteered what he knew. “The Wolfguard don’t seem to have any concerns about the gender of their partner other than they are of the age of consent and willing.”  
“Same species is a consideration.”  
“Yeah, but consideration isn’t the same as requirement.”  
Max turned slowly and looked at the two males that had commented. He hesitated. “I would ask the question but it occurs to me that I’m not totally sure I want to KNOW the answer. Thank you for sharing. I hope that you enjoy your meal. I’m going back to the kitchen.” He walked off. He was glad that they had released him so easily. He felt oddly chilled now. The warmth had been so…comforting. 

The Wolfgard looked slightly confused. Shrugged, sat down and went back to eating. 

The humans looked confused and weren’t sure if they wanted to eat or leave. Eating won out and conversation picked back up.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the start of Camp NaNoWriMo writing where I plan to write at least 2,500 words per day for the month of April...cringes to see that in writing. That's 75k.   
> I agree that there will be mistakes.  
> I agree that some of it will suck.  
> I agree that I will go off the rails and have to claw my way back to where I had intended to go.   
> I agree that we may both be sick of this story before the end of the April.   
> If you agree, keep reading otherwise hit the back button till I can edit the story after it is finished. Thank you to those brave souls that decide to join me. :)

Stiles looked at Lydia and Morgana. They could hear the response from the Magpies. Both girls just shrugged. Stiles hadn’t expected a sudden change of heart. Exactly. He had dealt with humans in small groups. They hadn’t come into the Herb Store. He was actually more to catalogue orders from humans than walk in customers. They were such a tiny part of his actual customer base. 

But those were strangers. People that he had never seen face to face on a regular basis. Had never spoken to or shared the occasional meal. He knew what it was like to have people not be thrilled that you were around. That was why when he as with the Magpies he did his best to make them feel accepted. 

Guess that acceptance just didn’t go both ways. Tolerance would just have to do.

He shook his head to get rid of the morbid thoughts. His emotions were in turmoil. Teyla would be leaving. Not tomorrow or this week probably but she was leaving. She was the last of his ‘family’. The last tie to his family in some ways. Scott and his mom were close but they formed their own circle. Teyla was his last tie to his mother who had loved him unconditionally. There. It was said. 

He had a day of work to get through and a list that never ended. He picked up a small jar of Serenity cream from under his counter and walked to the bathroom. He was going to get through the day just fine. He would be just fine. Thankyouverymuch! He shut the door firmly behind him.

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It was one of those cold, wet, gray, crappy days. Even the Wolfgard kind of hurried in and hunkered down by late afternoon. They either hit the Bookstore first to get something to read and then went to the Café to get something warm to drink or reversed the order. The reading chairs were full.

The Sewing Club was in full swing expressing their displeasure. The ugly couch had been moved. To their room. Evidently just moving the thing back out wasn’t an option. There was measuring and planning going on. A number of the people in the Club had material with them. None of them had enough to cover the entire couch. The material they had on hand was spread over the cutting table. 

Stiles had been watching off and on. He had thought they would just shove the thing off on someone else. He was curious to see what they were going to do to it. 

Someone had an idea and more material was scrounged. There was a set of shelves that had appeared. Stiles actually suspected Craft. It filled with material that the Club had brought in. Not big things like Allison had come back with but smaller folded stacks of all different kinds of material. Leftovers? Material leftovers instead of food? No real idea on that. 

There was a basket where the scraps from the Stiles bags had been gathered. There had been sections that were slightly damaged due to age and storage. Those and a couple of other not good enough areas had been cut off and out an added to the reject basket. Evidently they were now good enough for what the Club had in mind. Cutting and arranging. And re-arranging. Then the sewing started. Of a stack of squares. He just shook his head and went back to his stuff. It kept them busy which was all he really cared about. It added to the energy of the store in a positive way that he couldn’t quite explain but knew that when people were happily working on some project somewhere in the store the day and sales went well. 

“What the fuck was that?!?!” Stiles hit the ground in surprise. He wasn’t the only one. It had been something mechanical from the Café. Not a sound that Melissa had ever made before. The Wolfgard in the Café had been startled into a partial shift. Eyes and teeth mainly. The humans were just startled. They looked toward the kitchen, shrugged and went back to what they were doing. With a cautious eye on the slightly freaked Wolfgard. 

Melissa repeated Stiles’ question from the kitchen of the Café. Loudly. With great feeling.

“I turned on the mixer.” It was Max’s voice.   
“For what? Cement?”  
The Wolfgard shifted closer to be able to see into the kitchen. Max and Melissa were facing each other.  
“Beg pardon?”  
Melissa made an irritated hand-wavy gesture at him. “Why did you turn it on?”  
“To test it?”  
“You are very male today.”   
Max was silent for several seconds and then finally spoke “Which would work better for me? I’m sorry or thank you?”  
“Next time warn me before you start a construction project in the kitchen.”   
“Yes Ma’am. I was going to do some baking. It is quiet for the moment and I’m not familiar with the stoves.”  
Melissa just looked at him. “You cook. I’ve eaten your cooking. How can you not be familiar with a stove?”  
Max did the open mouth, close mouth, sigh and shuffle. “I know how a stove works. Yes. I also know that different stoves cook differently. They have quirks just like people. I would rather find out now and burn or undercook something as I test bake then have a large order and screw it up.”  
“Why didn’t you just say that?”  
“I.” Max stopped cold. Smiled at her. “I apologize.”   
Melissa just snorted. “Lift one side or the other to show fang. It’s more effective with the polite fuck you.” She turned and went back to what she had been doing before Max had scared a few days off her life.  
Max’s head dropped forward. His shoulders shook slightly. There was a strangled “Yes Ma’am.” He took a deep breath and turned back to the counter he was working at. His counter with his cooking stuff that was near a set of ovens that generally weren’t used. His counter with a sign over it. “Max’s shit. If he bites you for touching, don’t come whining to me.” It was signed Melissa.   
Max looked around. 

The Magpies were together tidying and cleaning while they had the chance.   
Melissa was working on something of her own and keeping any eye on the front.   
He was mainly the cook more than anything else so he was free to experiment a little. He had something in mind that he wanted to make. He got out his supplies and began measuring and mixing. 

He made some discoveries about some things that were different from cooking school and his brief stint at a restaurant and working for Melissa.   
People watched you. Teachers had watched to make sure you didn’t screw up too badly. Here people watched to see what you would do next. There was this window service opening behind his counter that they didn’t use. He liked to had heart failure the first time he turned around and saw several people just watching quietly. He was beginning to feel like an exhibit.   
Max got a firm grip and told himself it was just like school. Ignore them. There were only about two or three people. 

He had also discovered that Melissa had a thing for dough, icing and filling. She was willing to share with her son. Sometimes. She got first dibs. They did wash the mixing bowls for him. After they licked them clean. Finger licked. He guessed he should be grateful that they didn’t shift and clean it that way. 

He planned on making a batch of “Better-than-sex” scones for Stiles to say thank you. They weren’t that hard and didn’t take that long. The first batch came out a tad browner than he had in mind. The oven cooked hotter. Made sense. He would have to adjust his cooking times. He set the scones out to cool and started on another batch making notes on the changes. 

He glanced over at the cooling rack as he was about to load the next dozen scones into the oven. He looked again. There were ten scones. His employer was also missing. Max just shook his head and went back to baking. 

He was considering either doing more scones or switching to a pastry that he thought Stiles might also like. He was standing at the counter thinking when he could feel warmth against his back. “Something sure smells good. The biscuit thingies smell pretty good too.” Dean’s voice was close. Much closer than he expected. 

Max resisted jumping. “Thank you. I’m thinking of trying a couple of pastries I haven’t gotten to yet.”  
Dean rubbed his nose against Max’s shoulder.   
“That better be a gesture of affection because if you are wiping snot on me I’m going to be pissed.”   
“Nose itched.”  
“Of course. How could I have not realized?”  
“Let you get back to your baking.” Dean drifted off. 

Max frowned a short time later. “No.” He looked over. Yes. He was missing four more scones. Half of his work was already gone. Somehow he wasn’t surprised that he was missing half. He was surprised he still HAD half. He felt a tug on his pants leg. He looked down to see a small boy. “I’m Alex. Can Momma and I have some of those bread things? We didn’t get any and she gets cranky about practicing stealth.” 

The kid was freaking adorable. Max just sighed. Took the new batch out of the oven that were the right shade of golden brown and put them on the cooling rack. Wrapped up the original six in a towel and handed it to Alex. “I’d like my towel back when you are done please.” 

He got a big grin and a knee hug. Off the kid went. He turned back to see a pouting Chris who was regarding the scones. “They’re hot.”   
“That would be because they just came out of the oven.”  
Chris looked at him.   
Max looked back. He caved first. He wrapped six of them in one towel and six in another. He handed one towel to Chris and picked up the other towel. He walked out of the kitchen and through a gauntlet of very interested Wolfgard. He handed the towel to Stiles. “These are yours. I am handing them to you to eat. If you don’t get to eat any of them because someone swiped them, it’s not my problem. I’m only human. You are Other and a Black Widow. Deal with it.” 

Stiles took the towel with an expression of delight. He took a bite of one even though it was still hot. He had an expression of bliss. He put the rest on the back counter and encased it in a dark grey bubble. Max left rather than watch Stiles eat the scone. It was…not a safe for work picture.

He went back to his baking to see what kind of luck he would have with pastry. His friends had liked his baking. Liked it. Were happy to get the extras when he was in a baking mood. The Wolfgard? He gave them credit for expressing appreciation. Chocolate was a favorite. But he wondered if chocolate and wolves was really a good combination. What if he switched to carob? He had a bunch he had grabbed on accident not really paying attention. What could he make in small bite-sized bits that would go over well? He had those small heart shaped molds that were about 36 per baking tray. He had an idea. 

The first test…fail. It was okay but just okay. He tried one and wasn’t impressed. He dumped the rest out and let them cool some. He looked out of the kitchen to the front of the Café. There was a table of female Wolfgard. Melissa and the Magpies were pretty much ignoring him doing their own thing. Doing your own thing seemed to be the status quo. 

Time to find some victims. He put them in a tin and walked out to the table. “Hi. Do any of you have any food allergies?”  
They looked at him like he was…nuts.  
“I take that as a no. I would like to ask you to do me a favor and try one of these and tell me what you think.” He offered each of them one with his serving tongs. They looked at it a little oddly but took the heart and nibbled it. Hands came out for a second heart.   
“You liked that?” He thought it had been rather bleah.   
“More please.”   
He handed each of them one more then moved to the next table that had males. He offered each of them one of the hearts. They weren’t as thrilled.   
He had enough for the next table with an equal number of male and female. The females were much more receptive than the males.   
“Huh. That gives me an idea.” Max walked back to the kitchen. What if he added a little spice to it? Which one and how much?   
His eye fell on one spice that he rarely used and had a huge container. He remixed the batch and tried it again. He tidied up his area, updated his notes and thoughts while he waited for the hearts to finish baking. This would either work well or bomb. He walked out and had the table that was after the mixed table wave at him. It was females.   
“I don’t know that you are going to like this. I had guys in mind.”   
It was decided to test it on the male table next to them. If the guys didn’t fall out they would try it.   
Max handed each male Wolfgard one of the spiced hearts. After the first bite shock, they loved it. One of the females tried one. Her eyes watered. She looked at him in disbelief. “I told you that you probably wouldn’t like it.”   
“I get two of the first ones you made.”   
“You can have two of the next batch. I have an idea.”   
He went back to the kitchen drawing board. He adapted the recipe and color coded. He crossed his fingers and doubled the recipe. Which was good. When he came back out, all of the tables were full. They were waiting nicely. He looked at Melissa in dismay. She just looked amused. She shrugged. “They are spending money on drinks. Keep testing on them.”   
The Sweethearts worked wonderfully. Almost a bit too well at the snarling over the last heart. One female winced at his cleared throat and let the other female have the Sweetheart. 

She got two of the next batch for being a good friend. He could see her mouth the words “good friend?” with a puzzled expression. 

Max tried out four variations and then announced that he was done testing for the day. He would bake some for them to buy. Heads perked up and smiles started. “Tomorrow. I need to go and buy more supplies. I don’t have time to do that now and get back and bake.”   
“I can follow a shopping list!” Max turned back and looked at the young Wolfgard girl.   
“I need more of the baking trays.”   
“They come from a store?”  
“Well yes.”   
“The store have a phone?”  
Max blinked. “Yes. I’m sure it has a phone.” Melissa was over in a corner laughing. She had the courtesy to be quiet about it.   
“Call the store. Find a person with a brain. That will be the difficult part. Tell them what you want. We will go and get it. You can pay us back. That way you can just start with what you already have.”   
“The store isn’t in the Courtyard. I didn’t live in the Courtyard so I didn’t do my shopping here.”  
“We can take a human with us.”   
Max had no idea how to respond to that statement. He wasn’t the only one. The humans were torn between intrigued and alarmed.   
“Are you by chance referring to that baking store that is beside the whole food warehouse? The one that you get their catalogue and drool over?”   
Well crap. “Good afternoon Aunt Tory.”   
“I have just arrived but I will avail myself to go with them to pick up your requirements.”   
The Wolfgard looked at AuntTory then looked at Max. “She said she would go with you to get the stuff I need. She knows where it is and how to shop there.”   
Pleased smiles. The four Wolfgard females introduced themselves to AuntTory. Max made a dream list and handed it to his beloved aunt with a smile.   
She returned the smile. She didn’t need lessons on the polite fuck you.   
As they were headed off he thought of one last thing. “Aunt Tory?”  
She turned with a raised brow.   
“You are paying me back for any bail money that I end up spending.”   
She sniffed in distain. She gathered her little group and led them off.   
Max looked at Melissa. “I’m not sure in that group just whom is going to be the most traumatized.”   
Chris swiped the remaining hearts. He commented. “I put my money on the people in the stores they are going to.”   
Max frowned at him. Then thought the statement over. “Damn. You have a point. I’m not betting.”   
He went back to his counter to clean and prepare to be invaded. He knew his aunt. She had some cooking skill. She would view the list as a starting point. She would have a crew of willing participants to get whatever she wanted so they could have goodies. They were motivated. 

It would be one of those be careful what you ask for you just might get it. Aunt Tory had money and wasn’t shy about spending it. He would be paying her back for some months. But it would be worth it. If he could keep this job and not screw it up. 

Melissa patted him on the back. “Get plenty of sleep tonight. You are going to be making hearts all day long tomorrow.”   
Max thought she was probably right. But how bad could it be? They had a steady stream of customers but they weren’t usually packed like the Bookstore sometimes had to deal with.   
Seriously, how bad could it be?

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Sam’s fifteen minute warning drew a clang, clatter and spate of cussing from Max. Along with a very irate young man that stalked over to Sam’s spot and snarled. “I was taking the pastries out! Did it ever occur to you that looking and observing if someone is in the middle of something delicate is warranted before you decide to give your imitation of a cat being strangled? A whole batch of them ended up all over the floor. They are ruined. Thank you so very much for your consideration.”

Sam watched the young man stomp away with wide eyes. A soft ‘woo-woo’ followed. The gesture over Max’s shoulder did not indicate that he accepted Sam’s apology. 

Max stopped at the entryway of the kitchen. “I would have cleaned it up.” There were no pastries to be seen and the floor was spotless. Almost spit-shined. No. They wouldn’t! He looked over to the Magpies that were looking a little wide-eyed themselves. “I do beg your pardon for my lapse.” They gave him a kind of a nod then hastily finished their clean-up for the day. He looked at his counter with crap from one end to the other. There were storage shelves above. He had just kind of stuck the cooking supplies that his aunt had bought where they fit. The variety of baking molds had been washed. The bad-ass kitchen machines he had been lusting over were arranged. He had tried out everything in a gluttony of experimentation. 

And he had managed to utterly and completely lose track of time. “Bugger it all.” 

Melissa walked over and placed her hands on his shoulders from behind as he looked at both ovens. The store closed in fifteen minutes. The Café evidently closed around the same time. No one had told him to stop what he was doing and start shutting down. He had three more trays in the oven of different treats. It was going to be another thirty minutes before they were done. 

Max glared at the Magpies who had finished and were headed out the door with the customers. Scott was handling the register for the last minute sales. He could see a hulking young Wolfgard male finish wiping down the tables and chairs, and then trot upstairs. 

He was, evidently, the only one that missed his cue for closing routine. It was so irritating. Not the impression he wanted to make on his first day. 

“Ow, ow, easy!” Melissa had a grip for a woman. She massaged his shoulders.   
“You are much to tense. Your shoulders are in knots. Set the timer and sit down until they come out.”  
“But.”  
“You live here. You don’t have to run out the door to get home. You aren’t going to be herded out when you are told it is time for you to go to your home. You live here with the rest of us. It’s fine.”   
“I finally had the timing down on those damn things. A whole batch ruined. Yes he startled me but I should have had a better idea of the time. Damn. That was a waste.”  
Melissa snickered.   
“What?”  
“You know we clean the floor several times a day?”

That had kind of taken him aback. There was a spray bottle at each of the tables. Once a customer had finished their meal or sitting at the table, they sprayed the table and wiped it down with one of the stack of hand-towels that were near the tables. Then but the hand towel in a basket to be washed. The table and chairs were wiped and pushed back under the tables. New customers were schooled rapidly by long-time customers. It was just rude to leave a table dirty. You didn’t want to be considered rude in a Courtyard. 

The kitchen floor was mopped after every rush as well as the main floor. It was interesting to see people sitting with their feet up as the floor dried. What struck him as odd was none of the tasks fell to the Magpies. The more the thought about it, very little fell to the Magpies. 

Melissa cooked. They were in charge of the cash register and keeping the selections filled. You ate what was available. Take it or leave it. He could understand that, she worked her ass off. He helped when and where he could. That is why he felt so bad about getting all wrapped up in his project instead of doing his job. 

“Back to me and back to now.”  
“Yes. Yes. I have observed.”   
“Believe me those pastries were not wasted.”  
Max slowly turned to face her. Aghast.   
“Male Wolfgard are NOT picky eaters. Actually neither are the females. The males were just quicker.”   
“Oh no. Oh. Just. No. Really?”   
A voice from outside the kitchen volunteered. “Those were GOOD. You will make more tomorrow?”  
“You ate them from off the floor???” No wonder the floor had been so clean.   
“Uh. No.”  
Max sighed in relief.   
“I picked it up and ate it from my hand. The Magpies get all twittery-freak if we shift. Besides it would have taken too long to get my clothes off.”   
“That just makes it all better.”

A head peeked around the opening to the kitchen. “You cook good. We are glad you came. We will come back tomorrow with money and spend it on the things you bake. We like baking. Good-night.”  
“Goodnight then. Be careful.”   
That got an odd look from everyone in the Café. 

The hulking young Wolfgard herded the last of the stragglers out from upstairs. “Closed. That means not open. That means that if you are on my side when the door is locked one of us is going to be very upset.”  
The three stragglers hastily left. Melissa locked the door. 

Melissa closed down the register and took the money and drawer back to her office. 

The employees from the Bookstore came over and fixed a plate and took it back to the Bookstore to eat. Both stores closed at 7:00 P.M. The Café opened at 9:00 A.M. and the Bookstore now opened an hour later at 10:00 A.M. That was the plan anyway. It didn’t always happen. Chris usually gave up and let people in once they had the store stocked and ready. 

Scott was keeping Stiles company. Max was in the kitchen by himself. Feeling a little lost.   
“We eat now. Till full. Then put away. Clean everything for morning.” He shrugged after that.   
“What do you do after that?”  
“Watch.”

Chris came through and he and the Wolfgard got into a conversation. In French. Max could follow fairly well. There were some differences. There was a definite story there. Chris glanced over at Max. “Max this is Etienne Beargard. Etienne, this is Max.” 

Max offered his hand. “Pleased to meet you.”   
Etienne took his hand. Hesitantly. He gave it one tentative shake then let go. He fixed himself a plate and got a bottle of water and disappeared. 

Max looked at Chris who shook his head. Max let it go. He fixed his own plate and watched the ovens. He took the pastries out and put them on the cooling rack. He turned around to find there were now several people behind him.   
“Dude, that was just cruel. I’ve been smelling the stuff that you’ve been making all day! I can eat the fake chocolate stuff as a wolf and not puke it back up.” Sam was wearing a pair of sweats and holding his plate.   
“And the lot of you are over here, why?”  
He was hit by sad face from everyone of them. “Fine. They are hot. Save Etienne a couple. If you burn your mouth, I don’t want to hear about it.” 

He got a kiss on the cheek from Allison. Hugs from the males. Sam handed Dean his plate. Max found himself dipped in a dance move with a dramatic mwah kiss. Took his plate back and got his pastries and seconds. Alex had to be picked up for his kiss. Brigid looked at him rather hesitantly. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She giggled brightly. 

Dean crowded him against his counter. “You did good today.”  
Max met his eyes. Slightly exasperated. “I did okay. I can do better tomorrow. I lost track of things.”   
“You won over a bunch of Wolfgard and made them your willing slaves for food. You got them to willingly run errands for you. Most have to pay dearly for that to happen. Etienne actually talked to you. There was a good while that we thought he was mute. Even better he let you touch him.”  
Max was confused. “I didn’t touch him? I just shook his hand that’s not like touching touching him. ”  
“Shaking hands isn’t something we do. Beargard even less.”  
“Oh. Did I offend?”  
“You have your hand still?”  
Max looked at Dean hoping he was exaggerating.   
“You didn’t offend.”   
Dean moved in closer till their bodies were pressing against each other. “There have been all these delicious scents coming from over here.”  
“It’s been mentioned how much you like pastries.”  
“It wasn’t the pastries I was smelling that made me hungry.”   
Max’s breath caught. 

Dean’s eyes closed slightly and his mouth parted. He leaned in and breathed Max.   
It wasn’t a human gesture. It made Max’s toes curl in his shoes. “Dean.”   
Dean licked up his neck slowly, savoring his taste.   
Max swallowed hard. There was no way he could pretend he wasn’t aroused. Dean would be able to both smell and feel it.   
A gentle bite to his throat made him whimper. 

Dean backed off. There was no doubt in Max’s mind that Dean was equally aroused.   
“This isn’t exactly the time or place.”   
“For what?”  
“To. For. Uh.”  
“I’m just letting you know that I find you attractive. Always time and place for that.”  
“Uh-huh.” Max’s wondered where his vocabulary had gotten off to. 

Dean backed off a little further and snagged one of the pastries. There were four left for Etienne.   
Max quickly found something to put them in. Before they disappeared. That made him think of something that had been bothering him all day. 

Etienne came through and Max handed him the carry bag. Etienne nodded and disappeared again.   
Melissa came back and made her plate. Max handed her the Sweethearts he had saved back for her. He had put them behind a batch of garlic, once of which he had smooshed slightly. It had worked to throw the scavengers off.   
“You look like you need these more than I do.” Melissa eyed him as she savored a Sweetheart.  
The others drifted back into the room and started putting food away and cleaning. That caught their attention.   
Max looked at Melissa. “I believe I need to talk to you in private.”  
She frowned at him. “Do you have a problem with someone in this room?”  
Max blinked. “No.”  
“Then why in private?”  
“It’s about the Magpies.”  
“They aren’t happy here. I know that.”  
He hesitated but it just grated on his sense of duty and fairness. “They will only be here about another month if that. A friend of theirs operates a store outside of the Courtyard. In an area where their sexuality is more accepted by humans. They are going to take jobs there as soon as they are available.”  
He could tell that was a slight surprise to Melissa. “Okay. Okay. That sort of makes sense. I have overheard a couple of things that made me think that they were looking for another job.”  
“I don’t think that they are going to give you two-week notice.”  
Melissa looked blank. Then snickered. “Screaming ‘fuck you I quit’ has been pretty typical around here for human employees. I’m rather surprised that they lasted as long as they did. I didn’t want to throw them out. They actually do a good job.”  
“No they don’t.”  
The room looked at him. Surprised.   
“Yes they are my friends. But I am rethinking that. You don’t leave someone that has been good to you in the lurch. They do enough to get by. As opposed to most everyone in the Bookstore that is busting their ass to get things taken care of. The customers take more ownership of making sure that matters are handled. The people that come here to shop are the strangest group I have ever encountered. They take care of many of the things that the Magpies should be doing. It’s not right.”  
“The idea was to have some human employees in all of the businesses. To deal with the human customers. To integrate.”  
“Well you have that now. Integration. You have the Sewing Club. You have Wolfgard and humans working together and communicating. You have the market that will be coming onboard. That is going to be a real headache. Actually it’s going to be a pain in the ass unless you have another entrance besides the Café. The vendors are going to want to have access to set up before the customers are allowed in. They are going to want to be going in and out at all hours. That is going to screw with Stiles’ wards. Made to keep things out not for when they are already in.” Max could feel his chest tightening. 

“Babe, babe. Slow down. Chris hasn’t said yes. The woman hasn’t even finished her proposal.” Dean moved closer and put his arms around Max. Stiles came over and cupped his face. “This is really upsetting you!”  
“There isn’t going to be anything that I can do. I am going to be down here. Even if I leave my door open most of the time I’m not going to be able to keep track. I’m just one person. I can be distracted. I just don’t see how it can be done to keep everyone that lives here safe.”  
“Whoa, whoa. That’s not your responsibility. You cook. You do an amazing job. You are upstairs and they know that you are there. You are the one that they see. They will know that there are watchers. All you are is a presence. You aren’t security. That’s not your responsibility. Understand me?”

“Move.” Chris moved Stiles aside and cupped Max’s face in both hands. “Breathe you idiot child.”  
Max took a deep breath out of shock.   
“The Market opening is probably a year or so down the road. There are a number of other things that are going to happen first.”  
“You don’t know Agatha. She is relentless.”  
“It doesn’t matter. This is our home. She can ask and demand all she wants. Until the time is right for all of us the answer is no. The Herb Store is the next step. Once we take that in and renovate it from below ground up then we will think about the middle floor. It’s just going to be a storage and possible meeting area until several things happen. There are metal gates over there that haven’t been closed. I think that is going to change tonight. The middle floor is now off-limits to anyone that doesn’t live here. Are you hearing me?”  
“Yes Sir.”   
“Good.” Chris looked at him. Shook his head. “You have to be related to Brigid.”  
Max glanced over Chris’ shoulder to meet Brigid’s eyes. She looked as confused as he was.  
“Why?”  
“Worrywart. Must run in the family line. We good now?”  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Eat your food. Stiles make him something for our nerves.” Chris walked off. 

Dean and Stiles stayed close. The rest drifted back to what they had been doing. Dean rested his chin on Max’s shoulder. “You deal well with strange.”  
Stiles looked at Dean. “Do you think that will work? I mean I was thinking of something but..well, she is good at cleaning. It would be worth the entertainment value of watching the customers learn to deal with her.”   
“Excuse me. Perhaps the two of you might let others in on the underlying subtext.”  
“He’s sexy when he’s in a snit.”   
“Makes me hard most every time.” The next thing out of Dean’s mouth was a grunt as Max elbowed him. 

“Mouse. You will meet Mouse tomorrow. She’s back and needs something to do and a place to stay. We will talk after you meet her.” Dean nipped Max’s neck in retaliation. Max promptly stuck a bite of pastry in Dean’s mouth.   
“No wrestling in my kitchen. Do it where what you break won’t be mine.”   
Dean helped him finish up then drug him by the hand to the Bookstore to help out. 

Allison looked at him. “Oh. He’s finished fondling his new toys?”  
Max wasn’t the only one that choked.   
“His baking toys. Not his sex toys. Really.” She stopped and looked at him thoughtfully. “Where did you get your sex toys and what do you recommend?”   
Chris smacked the back of his daughter’s head.   
She glared at him and then started smiling. “Should I ask Peter about sex toys?”  
“You do that. Let me know how well that goes for you.”  
Allison pouted, shrugged and then turned her attention to something Lydia and Morgana were planning.   
Max was fading. He was tired. He was starting to hurt. He wanted a shower and his bed. He wouldn’t turn down another massage despite how embarrassing it had been.   
“We are done. I’ll shut the gates behind us. We are going to call it a night.” Dean took the bottle that Stiles handed him and herded Max toward the staircase at the end of the Café.   
Max just let Dean take charge. He was too tired to care.   
Tomorrow.. was another day. It was going to be interesting. He would survive it. And Mouse. And the baking. And the customers. He was going to stop thinking about tomorrow now. He had someone close at hand that was much more pleasant to think about. Everything else could just wait.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screaming in frustration. Much Cussing, even for me. Picking Hubby's brain of 30 years of construction. I still don't know how the damn staircase falls. I am not working out the rise of the stairs. I had to get out Publisher and design the stores. (And discover how much I had screwed up. Which was quite a bit. I had part of the Bermuda Triangle hovering around the stores.)
> 
> Here is a link to Tumblr which I made for the pictures because I think they have to be online for me to get them here. Haven't figured how to stick them in but I sure as hell know how to post a link. 
> 
> And the Tumblr idea didn't work either. I have a domain I can stick them on along with the rest of the photos and bios that I am working up. It will be up later. I am just going to stick what I have now up story wise. 
> 
> I am going to have to go back when I edit this thing and fix. The stores ended up flipping on me when I finally got down to design from how I had imagined them standing at Brigid's register.
> 
> The buildings are brick, think turn of the Century Galveston. There are embellishements everywhere. They are in a set of three for the Cafe on the RIGHT and Herb Store on the LEFT as Brigid stands at her register. (I had it flipped in my descriptions...head.desk)  
> I am sure that I goofed where they would enter as well)
> 
> They are fifty feet wide and one-hundred feet long each. Each building is freaking massive. 14 foot ceilings with embossed tin or other decorative features. I don't know that I remembered to label all of the sections in the blueprint that I put up on Tumblr. I'll fix it later. I also don't have all of the archway connections between each store roughed in and that may be an ooopsie. 
> 
> The customers can only come in from the front. Humans ONLY have access to the street at the front. (And that means that the Magpies have no access to the back and would have to be let in throught the front door...sigh. To be fixed later.)
> 
> The back of the building is for deliveries. Even though all three stores have like a back dock area, Chris tends to be the only one that the drivers can get to the door to take deliveries. (Some how that is blocked off so the customers can't drive around there. There is access only to the Wolfgard/Other from that side. No idea how it works yet. I'm sort of thinking that there are buildings to the right and left of trio of buildings. The deliveries for all those business or what ever they end up being would be made from that area.)
> 
> The upstairs apartments where everyone mentioned at this point live face the BACK of the buildings and the area where the deliveries are made. There would be some sort of sunroom/balcony type area at the rear that is 12.5 ft deep by the width of the building. There is the elevator/dumbwaiter that connects all three floors in the right corner of that balcony area as you are looking from the rear of the building. French doors and windows connect the apartments to the back area. I have the blueprint of the third floor apartments done but can't put it up for a couple of more chapters because it would give away too much.
> 
> The apartments open to the hallway where the stairs come up from below in landings. Stairs at one end of the hallway and a window for light at the other. There is a LOT of carved and embellished work on the walls. The people realize that there are missing sections. There are windows that look out over the street on all levels. So they know that there are either apartments or storage in the section to the front that they have yet to figure out how to access. They aren't stupid but it isn't critical and there is so much going on in their lives already they just really don't have the energy to care. 
> 
> The building in OLD and has many secrets. To be revealed as the story progresses.

Stiles walked around his apartment picking things up and putting them down. All sorts of thoughts running through his head and few of them positive. 

Scott walked through his open door and flopped on the couch. “Your hair is dark brown. Not as dark as mine but dark.” 

Stiles looked at his supposed best friend. Who was evidently having some sort of mental break with reality. “What?”

“Brigid’s hair is goldy-red. Max’s hair is dark gold. They are worrywarts. Your hair is dark brown.”  
“And by that you come to the conclusion of…?”  
“No worrywart bloodline.”  
Stiles looked at him and snorted. He sat on the couch on Scott’s legs till Scott moved them. “He’s right. Everything he was saying I had thought about at one time or the other. Just not all at once. We need to buy the Herb Store. Is it we or is it Chris? Am I supposed to buy it from him as I can afford it? Is he going to keep it? I need to cleanse it. All of it. There are parts that I haven’t gotten to. As in, I know they are there but I don’t know how to get in. I don’t know where the Coven hid all of their shit. What if I don’t get it all? Then I have to keep it running. Max is right. There are a lot of us in one way but in another, there aren’t enough. When the Magpies go you will need to shift over to help out your Mom. Mouse will be in place but I don’t know how much help she will actually be. Max is the only human. Not like that really matters now. Sam and Dean for security for both. We don’t need it and haven’t had any trouble for about a year or so. But then there is the Coven. I don’t trust them. Teyla said not to trust them. Awaaak.” Stiles fell off the couch when Scott shoved him. 

“Chris has a plan. Chris always has a plan and a backup plan or two. We have Lydia. Mother Night help us we have Lydia. She is getting to like making money. She is motivated. You really want to be the person or thing that gets in her way of what she wants?”

Stiles was wide-eyed and shaking his head vehemently. “Oh hell no.” 

“Lydia, Allison and Morgana. Have you noticed that they are spending time together which has never happened before? Add Lylith who is invested in her daughter’s learning and interested in increasing her own herbal knowledge and access.” Scott looked at Stiles. He grabbed an arm and pulled him up onto the couch and against him. “I think that the best thing that you can do is stay out of their way, ask what your part is and do it promptly.”

Stiles thought about it for a few seconds. He thought about the people involved and what he knew of them. He put his head down on Scott’s chest. “Freak out over. They are like a force of nature. Just get out of their way and let them cut the path. Got it.” He sighed. 

Scott rubbed his back and waited.  
“Max is good for Dean.”  
“Dean is good for Max too.”  
“Yeah.”

More back rubbing.  
Stiles yawned. “I like Max.”  
“Yep.”  
“Think Dean would share?”  
“Ask and find out.”  
“It could be a very…cranky…no.”  
“It could also be a very…pleased…yes.”  
“From Dean?”  
“Yep.”  
“What about from Max?”  
“Don’t know. Have to ask him too.”  
“Not quite ready yet.”  
“Fine. Friends is good too.”  
“I can do friends.”  
“Yes Stiles. You are very good at friends. Go to sleep. Take a nap. I’ll wake you up so you can do all the piddling you have in mind. Sleep.” Scott watched as Stiles cuddled close and fell asleep. The crap with the Coven had really kicked his ass. He wasn’t sleeping well. More twitchy than normal which was pretty twitchy. He was now stressing about being responsible for the entire Herbal section and making and keeping it highly profitable. The only reason Stiles didn’t have an ulcer was Other healing. Scott was going to talk to some people tomorrow. There was going to be some aggressive planning and brainstorming. Stiles would know it was NOT all on him. That would help.

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Max was leaning against Dean. It was rather nice. Unusual but nice. Dean had pulled him down on the couch outside in the market area. “Neutral turf.” He had said. “We are going to sit here and breathe for awhile. Nothing else. Just breathing.”

“I think that I can manage that.”  
“No thinking just breathing.”  
“That might be harder.”  
“Yep. For some of us.”  
“You are smart. Much smarter than you pretend. I can already tell that.”  
“Damn. Busted. Don’t let it get around though. It will ruin my nothing but a pretty face image.”  
Max snorted with laughter. He sighed. “Chris has a plan?”  
“Yes Wart. Chris always has a plan. And a backup plan and an ohshit plan.”  
Max blinked in surprise. “Ohshit plan?”  
“You should already get the general drift of how days go and don’t tend to go according to plan. Your AuntTory and her coup on the baking world with her Minions. I think we should capitalize the Minions. They really got into it. She’s got some real Alpha in her for a human.”  
“My Aunt Tory isn’t even remotely typical. Never has been and never will be. You do realize that Aunt and Tory are two different words.”  
“Yeah.”  
“I’m hearing a but…. In that.”  
“Okay. But the look on her face is so..funny, interesting, disconcerted. I just imagine that she doesn’t disconcert easily or often.”  
Max thought and snickered. “No. She doesn’t.” He thought more. “I’m not sure how she feels about it really.”  
“It doesn’t hurt. She keeps things tight. Amazingly tight for a human. It was only when Alex called her AuntTory that I caught something off of her.”  
“What?”  
“I don’t know. I don’t think she was sure either. She steadied right up though. Probably memories and regrets. Everybody has them that catch you in the gut like a kick when you are least expecting it.”  
“You can smell feelings?”  
Dean made a face. “It’s not that…clear? I can pick up scents. I’ve learned what scent tends to go with what emotion. But that is mainly Other. Sam and I have been raised all over. We come back here but we have gotten around. Some things are fairly universal. Fear. Pain. Anger. Lust. Most don’t just feel one emotion at a time. It is the predominant emotion. Sometimes the mix makes things very hard to figure out. Humans also like to cover themselves in piss and think that it makes them appealing.”  
“What? No! Seriously?”  
“You need to look up some of the ingredients in perfume. They have NO idea what they are spraying on themselves and wonder why sometimes we back away gagging.”  
It went from faint snickers to outright giggles and Max’s sense of humor and imagination got the better of him. It was so unexpectedly infectious that Dean ended up joining him.  
They leaned against each other gasping for breath.  
“Okay. That was good. Sort of. Here is where Wolfgard smelling comes in handy. You are now in pain. Don’t even bother to try to tell me different. Shower and then smear stuff on you again. Up we go.”  
Dean pulled him to his feet and steered Max toward his apartment. “Hot shower. Take your time.”  
Max willingly went. He was healing better and faster than usual but he still hurt. It was so nice to be taken care of. He could get used to it. The thought made him stumble. He shook his head at Dean’s questioning glance. He wanted to get used to it. That. Scared him. He had spent his life being discrete. A word the Wolfgard tended to piss all over. Dean was openly affectionate and displayed attraction and admiration. Stiles was rather…involved as well. Chris in a different way. Melissa who was more like a relative that you actually liked than an employer. 

Max closed the bathroom door. Stripped and stepped into the warm spray of the shower. His day left him wondering. The Magpies talked about work some but not that much. He had thought that he could recognize the characters of their daily work dramas from what they said when they all got together. Trading work horror stories and funny things. He thought he could.

The creatures that they described and the people he met at the Café. Were shadows. They were shadows of the real people. There was a depth to them and a brightness and humor that didn’t come out in the Magpie’s stories. It let him know just how distant they were from the world they worked in. It was by choice. He thought it was a stupid choice but it wasn’t his life. It was theirs. Their choice and their life. 

He agreed more with Brigid who seemed to prefer to hang out with the Wolfgard much more than she did the humans. She seemed to be having a great deal more fun. He could hear her snickers and sometimes even outright laughter. 

He sighed. He would do what was best for him. Which was to make as much of a life here for himself for as long as it lasted. Friendships usually lasted if they were real. Romance not so much after the first lust rush. He would go very slow and cautious on the … bromance? He might even be mistaken on that. The Wolfgard were much more physical with each other than humans. Much more honest but then if they could smell emotion then it would just make sense. Trying to lie would be a waste of time and just piss people off. 

He shook his head. Breathe and not brood. He started washing. Damn, he liked being spoiled. The shampoo/gel was great. He loved the smell. His apartment was amazing. He had kitchen equipment he had a lust-on for ages now. He didn’t have to hide what he was. People liked his baking. Like SERIOUSLY liked his baking. The sneaking and snitching was kind of funny and cute. He might even be like his Aunt Tory and have his own minions some day. He was going to have a Mouse for a helper so he was already starting on the ‘m’ word helpers. 

Shower finished he dried off some and walked out with the towel around his waist and laid on the bed. “So Mouse. I get the feeling this person is…interesting?”  
Dean sat on the bed and poured some oil in the palm of one hand. “Ummm.”  
“You want to watch me make a fool of myself for the general entertainment value.”  
Dean just smiled and took hold of his foot. And made his toes curl in a good way.  
“Fine have it your way.” Max sighed. “I am sure that I won’t be the only one that does something for the group entertainment tomorrow. I’ll live through the trauma and drama.”  
“Max?”  
“What?”  
“Stop talking and enjoy.”  
“Right.” Pause. “Oh damn. Do that again.”  
“I changed my mind.”  
The sound that Max made could be considered a wailing whine.  
“No I changed my mind that I want you to talk. I’ll keep rubbing your feet if you answer questions.”  
Max lifted his head and looked at Dean in astonishment. “You expect coherence when you are doing that to me?”  
“Dude, you used the word co-her-ence. I count three syllables. Yes, you can still answer questions. Ready.”  
Max flopped back down and put his arm over his eyes. “Fine.”  
“Ohhhh, a bit of temper there. Good. Why did you chop all your hair off so short?”  
Max lifted his arm slightly. “Beg pardon?”  
“You heard me. Answer please.”  
“Well. It seemed expedient.”  
“Keep talking. You give me more; I’ll give you more.” Dean worked on a particularly sensitive spot and watched Max’s body arch and flex. Then he stopped.  
“You are a vicious and vile creature.”  
“Hot for your body too. Hair?”  
Max sighed deeply. “It’s curly. I was having enough problems at the gym without adding in longish curly hair. So I had it done in a buzz cut.”  
“Good boy. Very good boy.” Dean picked up his other foot and worked on the arch to watch the long toes curl. “How often did you work out?”  
“More often than any sane person. Every day that I worked I started and ended with some sort of exercise.”  
“You were full-time.”  
“Yes. To my pleasure and dismay.”  
“You going to continue to work out that often? There is a gym here that you can get a membership at.”  
Max was silent.  
“It’s a different kind of gym. I know the owner. He doesn’t allow any shit and doesn’t take any prisoners. There wouldn’t be a repeat of the shower crap here.”  
“Mmmm.”  
“You don’t want to or are you afraid. I can’t quite tell.”  
“I would prefer to do something to maintain a decent level of conditioning.”  
“Yesssss. Aaaaand. Words. You definitely know how to use your words.”  
“I absolutely loathed it. I’m not built for it. I can put on the muscle and keep it on but I’m not designed to be bulky. It’s not in my genetics or my nature to have that kind of form.”  
Dean was silent.  
Max lifted his arm slightly.  
“Good. Good. If you don’t want something then say so. It was a job and you did what you had to do for the job. Your family didn’t care for cooking school.”  
“No. My family was agreeable for cooking school. They disagreed loudly and vehemently about Chef school. That was too airy-fairy. I deemed it best to agree and take the cooking school that was offered.”  
“Max.”  
“Yes?” Max removed his arm from over his eyes. Curious.  
“What is your actual name? Is it Max.”  
“No.”  
Silence.  
“Okay my name is not Max. What were you stuck with at birth?”  
“Maximillian Bonaventure Gramalkin.”  
Dean just looked at him. Blinking. “You and your family didn’t get on at all did you?!”  
Max raised a brow. “Family names for your information.”  
“That just means that kids got stuck with sucky names and passed on the joy.”  
Blank. Dumbfounded stare. Then Max went off into peals of laughter.  
Dean waited till Max had regained control except for occasional giggles. “So. Hair color.”  
“Would you like some styling tips?”  
“Smartass.”  
“Given.”  
“As I have gotten to know more of you.”  
Max groaned.  
“As I was saying. As I’ve gotten to know more of you, the hair on your head is not naturally dark.”  
Max put his arm back over his eyes. “It was termed ‘ginger’ when I was growing up. Selecting a darker color tended to make people take me a bit more seriously.”  
“I’m very serious about you. How about you let it grow out and quit putting stinky crap on it?”  
Max’s lips twitched. “Fine. It was a pain in the arse anyway.”  
“And there we go!”  
“Beg pardon?”  
“You sound more like AuntTory in a snit now.”  
Max just pulled one foot out of Dean’s grasp and replaced it with his other foot. “Rub. That was a statement not a question and thus does not require a response on my part. Your part is to rub for answers. Think of me as your own personal genie.”  
Dean snickered. “You were born elsewhere.”  
“Most people were. Beacon Hills is a…strangely unique place. I don’t believe that you were born here either.”  
“I’m thinking that a trip across lots of water was involved in you ending up in Beacon Hills.”  
Max was pensive. Sad.  
“Family. Nobody can fuck you up and fuck you over like family. Huh?”  
“Quite. I believe I’m done for the evening.”  
Dean nodded. “So am I on the questions. Go ahead and turn off the bedside light. There is enough light coming in the windows for me to see. Just relax and let me work. Okay?”  
Max did as requested. It took Dean time to change the scents coming off of the long, swimmer’s body under his hands. He was… Max had opened himself up to him. Even more than if they had fucked. Max had let him inside to the vulnerable part of him. Had trusted Dean not to hurt him. That meant something.  
Max cuddled easier with the wolf than with the man right now. Dean finished and shifted. They both needed a little comfort.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

“Fuck!” Stiles nearly launched himself off of the couch. Scott grabbed for him and as a result they did topple off the couch.  
“What? What?” Scott looked around in alarm.  
“I forgot Mouse.”  
Scott just laid back on the floor. “Okay. You forgot Mouse. Is that any reason to give me heart failure?”  
“I need to figure out where we are going to put her.”  
Scott closed his eyes. “I am a nice person. I am a caring person. I know that she needs a place to stay and one better than that crappy traveler wagon she was in. Do we have to solve the problem right now?”  
Stiles thought. “I don’t know where she is anyway. She came through and disappeared. Which utterly sucks. I have no idea what we are dealing with. Hopefully she is better. I don’t know what they were able to do. I don’t know what was done or what my part is if I have one.”  
“Then I guess you will just have to wait till you can talk to someone won’t you?”  
“Crap. Crap. Crap. It was hectic at both ends. We fucked that up.”  
“She’s alive. She can shift and I imagine she brought her world with her like she usually does. There are places she can go. If she ends up spending the night in fur it might not be the greatest but she’ll live. I’m sure she had dealt with much worse. Feed her up in the morning. Stick her in a nice hot shower with Serenity stuff and refill her basket. It will work out. You know that time passes differently. Don’t worry about what you can’t change. Change what you can. And on that note, I am changing for bed and I’m going to sleep.”

Scott stripped to skin and crawled in Stiles’ bed.  
“You’re sleeping here tonight?”  
“Yep.”  
“What about your mom?”  
“She can sleep by herself. She’s done it for a few years. Doesn’t even need a stuffed animal any more. Besides, Lydia and Allison are spending the night. I have no idea why. I don’t even want to know why they are at my home. Yes. I am staying here where I am safe from girl cooties. Now, can I please go to sleep?”  
“Girl cooties? I thought you liked Allison.”  
“When she’s sane, yeah.”  
“Wow. Okay. Let me be quiet and you get some sleep. Maybe the cranky will creep away in the night and you’ll wake up in a non-snarly mood.”  
Scott just grunted, rolled over and closed his eyes. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep. 

Stiles watched him. That was kind of irritating how he could just crash like that. It took an hour or so for Stiles’ brain to stop chattering at him and let him drift off to sleep. That was on a good night. He was still so damn tired. He set his alarm clock and curled up in bed beside Scott. He sighed. She would be fine for the night. It wasn’t all that bad out. Especially in fur. It wasn’t the dead of winter yet. Dean may have even caught up with her and settled her somewhere. She was coming to the Café tomorrow. He wondered if anyone had bothered to tell Mouse she had a new job. They had to find her a new house. Great. Where the hell were they going to stick her? You would think with the size of the buildings that there would be more apartments. It was something that he had wondered about from time to time. The rooms were so weirdly arranged. It made no sense. It was like Melissa’s missing staircase that was hidden behind paneling. There had to be more room. 

Stiles shifted till his back was against Scott. Wonderful personal heater. Winter in skin sucked. The buildings were rectangles. They went straight up from the bottom floor. They didn’t get smaller. The apartments didn’t take up enough room. That had come up in conversations time and time again. But none of them could ever figure out where the extra room was or how to get into the rooms. 

He yawned. It was like they were hidden. Maybe he needed to get Alex to go poking along the walls to find the secret entrance. Yeah. Good idea. He would get right on that in the morning. Alex would love it. He snorted. Yawned. Yeah. Sure. Secret entrances. That was so likely. Damn he was tired. Warm and tired. He would close his eyes for a little while. He would help him think. It would probably be awhile before he fell asleep. 

Snuffle. Snort. Soft deep breathing of someone deeply asleep.  
Scott breathed a sigh of relief. Finally! It always worked. Eventually. Now that Stiles was finally asleep. He could go to sleep. Tomorrow as going to be busy. He needed to catch Dean and Chris and talk to them. Oh wait. He could talk to his Mom. He could tell her what he was thinking and then she could talk to them. She spoke Chris. Dean wasn’t so bad. Chris had all of these odd questions. If Scott knew the answers then he wouldn’t be involving Chris to help figure things out. You would think that Chris would figure this shit out by now. 

He would talk to his Mom. She would handle Chris. He would talk to Dean. He spoke Dean. Chris made him feel stupid. The brain glitch got worse when he was around Chris for long periods of time. He had been lucky so far. He knew that Chris didn’t like him. Not for Allison. Winter sucked. He hated winter. His Dad had died in winter. It had been his fault. He couldn’t remember what had happened but it was his fault. His memory had never been the same after that night. His brain didn’t always work right anymore. Fuck it. He was going to sleep. He could do what needed to be done. Just like his Dad had done. For him. Because of him. He wanted to think that he was like his Dad. He did what had to be done. That was what counted in the end. 

Scott curled up closer to Stiles and fell asleep. A single tear drifting down his face in the moonlight.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/firstfloorofthebookstoresmall.jpg>
> 
> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/firstfloorofthecafesmall.jpg>
> 
> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/firstflooroftheherbstoresmall.jpg>
> 
> This actually works. :)

Chris walked in the back door of the Bookstore at 8:00 a.m. He left the door to the store unlocked. They would either figure it out or he would go and open it for them. Later. He had mentioned coming in early to plan but it had never been discussed or agreed upon. He went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. They were going to need some. He looked around. They had gotten spoiled with Melissa. They tended to drift over to the Café to be taken care of. There was a kitchen that had come with the building. It hadn’t been used in some time. A good cleaning wouldn’t come amiss. But then they hadn’t had to fend for themselves yet either. 

He wandered through the area that he thought of as the Mystery Zone. It had started to make more sense once all of the panels had come down and he could begin to see the layout of the original design. It was open for the most part. Arches and pillars for support. The high ceilings with the embossed tin had always appealed to him. It had been a… it had been one of the good things that had come out of the disaster his life had been back then. 

He looked over at the large long table with the folding chairs. He would put Scott and Stiles to work when they showed to get the other heavy folding table and chairs. It was going to be a group meeting. Either before or after work. They had things to discuss. He had gone through a few business classes. For all the good it did him when working with Wolfgard. They really should have some sort of agenda. The thing is he didn’t even know what all needed to be dealt with. 

Teyla. He had the proposal. Peter was good for some things. No, make that Peter was actually helpful sometimes. Most of it had been done on the original agreement. He just needed to use the contract that had been drawn up then giving him first choice if she decided to sell the building. He was buying it back. He needed to tell the kids that. They were freaking more than he thought that they would. 

Teyla dealing with the Coven which did and didn’t affect them. 

He grabbed a notepad and started making notes. 

Don’t trust the Coven. That had come up a number of times. Don’t trust them was fine. There also needed to be some sort of plan to deal with them. They weren’t just going to go away. He was seeing more and more of them. Some of the head bitches had shown up and they had opened the original Coven House. He hadn’t been sucked into the dealing with. Yet. It would come he was sure. 

One reason to be grateful for the Hales. It was their headache. It was their turn to be in charge and deal with all of the shit. But then they tended to be heavily represented in the legal professions so there was nothing like a blood-sucking lawyer to look out for the interests of the Courtyard. It made him snicker every time he thought about it. 

Teyla again. Leaving. It was going to affect Stiles. Personally and professionally. Professionally he was going to continue to deal with the requests and duties of a Black Widow. He had been for…a year maybe even more. The thing was.. He was easier to get to now. People were more than willing to come into the Bookstore where the Herb Store was sort of a last ditch do I really have to won’t you just bring me so-and-so and I’ll pay you? No one cared to shop there but some dealt with it better than others. 

And there was that. The Herb Store. He had been so pissed when he had sold it to Teyla and it was between the two of them. But suddenly the Coven was very much in the picture. He had made a mistake with Teyla. She wasn’t a bad person. But she was only one person. He had no idea how many fronts she had been fighting on and for how long. When Catherine had been alive she had been at the Herb Store most of the time. She had been Teyla’s back up. When she died as Stiles turned 14 it started to all go to shit. 

The Coven were a disease. He knew a couple of ways to get rid of a disease. He was going to have to try containing and treatment rather than the total eradication he personally favored. The Herb Store was just going to have to sit there till they could deal with it. It was more the people to do the work than the money. The money was good. He needed to remind Stiles of that. What the Herbal section was taking in would more than offset the building sitting there. A store that no one wanted to go into to shop as opposed to the..whatever.. his store had become lately. It was more profitable to keep Stiles where he was than to open the Herb Store back up. Wasn’t that ironic. 

The Herb Store was on hold. The Market was on hold. The human had come to make a few inquires and discuss a few things to feel him out as a business partner. He had been very blunt with her. After she had picked her jaw up off of the floor, she had rather appreciated the ‘frankness’ as she called it. They had reached a compromise. There were empty ‘rooms’ in the Bookstore. As long as he didn’t need the areas for books or the expanding Herbal section, he didn’t care if people congregated during business hours. With the understanding he was here to make a profit. It was fine with him if what they ended spending money on was from the Herbal section. He didn’t want to ‘rent’ sections because he didn’t want to be stuck with someone or something he would rather be somewhere else. The Sewing Club earned their keep in his eyes because they took care of the Stiles’ bags. People were buying them almost as fast as they were made some days. 

He snorted. That had been…interesting. He still had no idea ‘what the fuck’. Lydia had been pulled away from the bags and suddenly in the middle of a run on Seven Scents and the ‘yes you can still buy it at that price. No it hasn’t gone up because I haven’t had the chance to change the labeling. Look you are getting a deal. Get off my ass about when the price will increase or I will take my shit back and you will just have to fucking do without.’ Kind of day for Stiles. 

He had just finished that little meltdown that left the store in silence. It seemed to be more awe and admiration than anything from the humans. It seemed like they could really support telling a customer that they were being a pain in the ass. 

Chris admitted that Customer Service was something that he still didn’t fully understand. 

There was this very soft voiced comment from Brigid. “Could someone find the time to make a few more Stiles bags? We seem to be out.”

Stiles had turned and glared at her. She cringed. He turned back to his rear area to grab some Stiles’ bags for her…to find that there weren’t any. It had been hysterical. He had moved forward slowly and had patted the counter. Perhaps someone had them under an invisibility spell. Not that Chris had ever experienced such a thing outside of story books but Stiles seemed to think it was a possibility. He looked under the papers that were laying on the counter. Evidently some sort of magical space holding/hiding area was also possible in his mind. He looked under the table. Maybe they were hiding. He straightened and turned around to face the store. “We don’t have any bags.” It was actually a rather calm tone. 

“I swear the fucking counter was stacked with bags this morning.” That tone had been less calm.  
“How can we be out of bags?!” His tone was now rising.

“Do you want them back?”  
“What?” Stiles looked over at a group mind.  
“We bought things and got Stiles’ bags. That was the other day. My friends liked what the Sewing Club did with their Stiles’ bags so we bought Stiles bags to decorate. Do you want them back?” 

Stiles face worked through a number of expressions and his mouth made sounds. Not word just this kind of undulating wavering whining wail.

“Sit him down and get him something soothing to drink.” An older human woman came out of the Sewing Club room. She pointed to a nearby Wolfgard. Who promptly flinched back then quickly went to the Café to obey. “We will start making the bags. We have plenty of supplies and I do believe that the sweet girl over there knows the pricing. You can pick out your bag color and your drawstring color. They do not have to match. You can make your selections once we start bringing them out. Until then you will wait patiently in line or take a number to be served. If you do not have good waiting behavior, you will be sent to the back of the line. Is that clear?”

“Yes Ma’am” came from the majority with a question from the Wolfgard section “What’s GOOD waiting behavior?”

“I am sure that you can come to consensus about what good waiting behavior is. Discuss it quietly.” 

“No pushing or shoving.” One girl started out. “No cutting.” That had the Wolfgard looking a bit alarmed. “Knives or claws?” That had the humans confused. 

“Cutting in line means getting in front of people who have been waiting because you know someone higher in the line. You go to the back of the line and wait your turn.”  
“Uhhhhh…” The Wolfgard looked at each other. “We agree.” They were still milling around discussing ‘good waiting behavior’ as a member of the Sewing Club brought out stacks of bags in different colors and drawstrings. She simply shook her head, arranged them on the counter and went back to do more bags.

He liked the Sewing Club. Those people came in handy. He wandered over to the coffeepot. His coffee was ready. He had to admit that he liked the ‘women who ironed’. Sam looked nice after they had pressed his shirt. They were good to do it while Sam stood there and waited on them to finish. They took their time and did a nice job. Didn’t rush at all. They ironed his shirt for him a few times. It really didn’t take that long. They liked the denim and how it brought out the blue of his eyes. They were very involved in colors and fabrics. He might even let them tailor a couple of his shirts like they did for Sam. They had been very particular about smoothing things and making sure that they fit just so. It did make Sam look impressive. He didn’t mind the Sewing Club at all. They were such nice, sweet women. They were so kind. He made sure that they were looked after so no one would take advantage of them. He knew that Sam kept an eye on them too. 

He heard thumping at the back door. Was Stiles going to walk into the room today or fall into it? It was a 50/50 chance either way. And the answer was….. hum, it would be hard to say if that was a flail as he made his point about something or him trying to catch his balance. He would be nice today and consider that Stiles stayed vertical so it was counted as walking in. 

Melissa came in behind him carrying a basket. Of course no one knew how to make breakfast for themselves. They would starve to death without her to feed them. Well, that did smell rather good. His bowl of cereal hadn’t lasted as long as he thought it would. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little something. 

Scott followed his mother. He had another basket. Who all were they feeding?

Brigid and Alex followed Scott. 

Dean, Max, Sam, and Mouse. Mouse who was holding Max’s hand. Happily and swinging their joined hands slightly. She looked freshly showered, dressed and her hair was braided. Oh shit. It was going to be a day of strange. He could just feel it. Sam kept giving the two of the side-eye and edging away. Dean looked like he wanted to break out laughing. Humor and hysteria in equal parts. That must have been an interesting meeting. He was glad he missed it. 

Allison, Lydia and Morgana. Someone had gone around the building to retrieve the Magpies. He had always wondered but never asked who had been designated the ‘go get the Magpies’. They had arrived at the back door looking rather frazzled to come in with the other employees about the second or third work day. He kind of wondered where they came through at. The humans only had access to the front and there were buildings around the back area. It was closed off to humans and was generally considered Other only. Except for special people like Brigid and Alex. Now Max. He wondered if someone had gotten around to introducing Max as ‘this is OUR human. Be nice or I will bite you’. If they caught one of the girls on a bad day it might be ‘don’t breathe near my human or I’ll gut you’. 

Melissa headed to the kitchen and stopped at the doorway. “I take it no one knows that this room is here?”  
No one was about to answer that question. It was a ‘you will not win, you will not say the right thing no matter what you say’ question. There was safety in silence.  
She sighed. “Someone clean the counters, get out plates and silverware and WASH them and put them out so we can eat. The next time I walk in this room and I am not going to tell you when that will be, I expect it to be spotless. Is everyone clear on that?”  
“Yes Ma’am.” They were almost in sync. Had they had that much practice?

The kitchen finally up to Melissa standards, they got their food and went back to the table. Thank you Max who had already set up the other table and had cleaned them both ruthlessly. They all took their seats and ate. Food was serious and deserved undivided attention. Therefore, you never had to wait long for a group to finish eating so you could get down to business. 

Chris had put some notepads and pens on the table. He started. “I already have my list. Teyla, selling the Herb Store. What we are going to do with the Herb Store. What we are going to do with the Coven.” He stopped. Sighed. “Not what we want to do with them but what might be wise. Teyla leaving and what that means. The plans for the Market. Living arrangements. Anyone have anything else to add to that?”

He got headshakes. No of course they couldn’t come up with any plans of their own but they could whine loud and long about his. “Let’s start with Teyla and selling the Herb Store. I’ve made her an offer and she has accepted. Any comments or questions.”

Headshakes.  
Melissa rolled her eyes. “I think that it is more the second point. What are we going to do with the Herb Store.”  
Chris glanced at each of them. “Nothing.”

Stiles’ jaw dropped. “Nothing?”  
Chris shrugged. “It is working better for you to be based out of the Bookstore than it ever did being at the Herb Store. There is better access to you and your products. You yourself have said that you are selling more and faster than you ever expected. So that part is working well. Don’t screw it up by trying to change. So we are in agreement that Stiles will stay where he is and we will expand the Herbal section as needed?”  
The others looked around at each other. Stiles spoke up. “I see how that makes sense but the store.”  
“You don’t have the time to mess with it. Not gutting it. Not cleaning or clearing it. No one else knows enough to be handed the task of taking care of fixing what the Coven did and we don’t even know what all they did at this point. Contain it and sit on it till we figure something out. There is no one else that I trust to deal with the situation. Is there someone that one of you can recommend?”  
You could almost see the wheels turning and the smoke rising. Stiles was the last to look up. “I can think of one or two people that could deal with the problem. BUT it might be more of a problem for them to come here and deal than it would be to just sit on it till we find…what?”  
“I’m thinking more employees. Not just anybody. They have to come and they have to want to stay and be a part of what we are doing.”  
The Magpies looked alarmed and glanced over at Melissa. The rest of the table reacted to their alarm. It was kind of a tense standoff. “So. Do you know yet when you will be getting the new jobs?” Melissa’s voice was calmly interested.  
The Magpie’s eyes got even bigger.  
Melissa shrugged. “It would be nice to know when you know. I would greatly appreciate if you would send word instead of just not showing up one day. Fair enough?”  
They nodded.  
Chris would be surprised if they were there at the end of the week. Melissa gave them their pay every morning. That would be about the only reason they would let her know. 

“Back to the list now.” Chris glanced over his notes. His lip lifted. “The Coven.”  
Stiles gave a low growl. “They are making a production. They are going to make a very public apology to Teyla and me and do some sort of reparation/repentance crap that I’m not buying in the least.”  
Chris looked at Melissa. “I thought about it. About the only thing that I could think of was that we watch, we wait and if they give us cause we strike hard and fast.”  
He was surprised when it was Brigid that spoke. “Unfortunately it seems to be the only thing that sort understands. Stay out of their way as much as possible. Protect the vulnerable. Watch and wait. They will screw up eventually. They are arrogant.”  
Melissa patted her back approvingly. They were rubbing off on her wonderfully. 

Stiles brought up the next point. “Teyla leaving.”  
“That’s going to put a great deal of pressure on you. I am sure that the Coven is going to offer their services as fully trained Black Widows. I am also sure that there will be shit talking. Take care of your customers just like you have been. Let it blow up in their faces. Lylith despises them. She caught me the other day. Which was painful because you were supposed to let me know that she wanted to talk to me and she thought I was ignoring her.”  
Stiles jaw dropped in surprise, he winced then cringed. “I told her that I would handle it. There was no reason to involve you. I just won’t take on any new clients and if I do any treatments it will be through her. We are going to work closer together which is honestly what I have been trying to convince Teyla and the Coven for years. But they don’t..never mind, it just pisses me off and doesn’t solve anything. Crap.” He turned and looked at Morgana. “I am going to have to figure out a way to schedule it so she and I can see clients. I have no fucking clue as to where and when that would happen.”  
Chris looked thoughtful. “How much room does it take? How often? Does it have to be where she is now because I’m suddenly thinking of future plans for the Herb Store.”  
Stiles looked at him. “Lylith?”  
“I know her. I trust her. She’s powerful.” He looked over at the Magpies.  
Melissa handed them their envelope with their money from yesterday. They looked at each other and then back at Melissa. “I hope that you do find what you are looking for. I hope the people that come to work here find what they want here. Thank you. You have been VERY good to us.” They actually gave her a hug. Gathered up their things and Melissa went to let them out.  
Max looked shocked.  
“Mousie hurry. Mousie scurry.” The tiny blonde looked at him rather triumphantly.  
“Oh put a sock in it.” Max grumbled. “Mousie better start seeing more help or we are screwed.”  
“Bear boy needs a home. Bear boy needs a place to belong.”  
Max looked confused. “Oh Etienne?”  
Mouse nodded “Bear boy.”  
“Is there a reason you don’t use names?”  
Mouse looked at him her eyes surprised then thoughtful. “Names have power.”  
“Oh. That. Fine then.” Max looked at Melissa. “Two out and two in. That’s actually not bad. It could be much worse.”  
Melissa looked at Scott. He nodded. “They will have to put what they want on a list like they have been doing if it isn’t on the shelf or go for their second choice. Pull the list at the end of the day or some point in the day. They will just have to come back. That’s the only thing I’ve been doing lately.” He looked over at Alex.  
Alex got up and crawled in his lap. “I need to help Momma more and pay her attention. You and I have been doing the boystuff and leaving her out.” He suddenly grinned and made a dramatic gesture of hand to his forehead. “Our bromance has come to an end.”  
Scott almost dropped him he was laughing so hard.  
“Bromance?”  
“Bro as in brother not by blood but by choice and romance. Guys who are close but more like brothers than lovers.” Brigid helpfully filled Chris in. 

Melissa snickered. “I guess Max will have to make lots of carob treats for his broken heart.”  
Scott whispered something in Alex’s ear that had him giggling and nodding. He went back to sit by his mother.  
She looked at the table. “So I have Scott running the register. The other two can learn a little along. Etienne already does the cleaning and helps me when I have large pots or serving pans to move.” She shrugged. “The Magpies and he didn’t care for each other. This will work out for the best. Mouse will keep the serving table filled and the drink section filled. The customers pretty much take care of themselves anyway. Max and I will do the cooking and baking. Me cooking and him baking. Believe me, the customers will damn well wait for him to cook something for them. I think that I am set as well as can be expected. I’d like another person to give people a break and just in case but I don’t really know of anyone.”  
Chris nodded. “Brigid main register. Alex is her assistant for whatever she needs. Stiles has the Herbal counter and Morgana is his assistant. You need to get her to the point she can take over while you fall back and work with Lylith. Allison is floating around where needed. I’ve got the books and any ordering on that side. Come to think of it there is Lydia and Dean.” He looked over at Dean. Then he looked at Melissa.  
“You can have Dean.” Dean and Melissa both gave him an odd look.  
“Dean is into food. He likes eating. He can learn to cook and serve. He can clean. He is decent at security.”  
Dean made an outraged noise. “Decent?”  
Sam patted him on the top of the head. “A little short and scrawny but you’ll do.”  
“People will spend money to watch him and Max flirt. It’s soooo cute.” Allison smiled.  
“True. Yep, it’s settled. You get Dean.”  
Mouse started clapping.  
Dean rolled his eyes and grumbled. He cracked up laughing when Max fluttered his eyelashes at him.  
“Fine I’m at the Café.”  
“I was thinking about trying to see how pies cook in that oven today. Small one person servings. It would be helpful to have you around.”  
“Oh now. That’s just not fair!” Sam glared at his brother then at Max. He folded his arms and sulked. “How come I don’t get a neat bromance? This just sucks.”  
Allison and Lydia patted him.  
“I’ll make sure that you get some two Sam. That’s why I said single serving and that means a very small pie not the whole pie like Dean probably considers a single serving.”  
It was Dean’s turn to pout. 

Chris waved to get their attention. “Which brings us to living arrangements.”  
“We need Alex. I was thinking about that last night. He was the one that found the opening between my place and his place. We haven’t found jack-shit before he figured that out. He gets to be in charge of finding mystery rooms. He’s got a real talent for it.”  
Chris looked thoughtfully at Stiles. “That might actually work.”  
The buildings are identical. Sort of. They were originally set up the same. I didn’t realize it till I started spending more time over here. There is the apartment by the laundry that is over the Café. There is, I just bet, an apartment and laundry over the Bookstore that we haven’t found. The Market area is like a labyrinth. You have these booth things everywhere and if there is any organization damn if I can see it. It was storage for several owners. Crap they couldn’t use but was too good to throw away and they were too something to do the right thing and give it away so someone else could use it. That would be an apartment for someone.”  
The entire table looked intrigued. A movement caught their attention.  
“Oh good. You’re here. Go to the kitchen and get something to eat and drink then join us please. You will be working at the Café today. Did you hear that the Magpies have quit?” Melissa looked at the hulking Beargard.  
He nodded and walked silently to the kitchen. He came back with a plate and a cup of coffee. He was clean and his hair was damp.  
“There are apartments at the front of the building that we have never found. I know it. I have looked but I never found the opening. But then I didn’t have Alex to help me.” Stiles looked at Alex thoughtfully.  
“He found the decorative block in the carved panel. That’s got to be part of it. I’ve poked and prodded on the wall in front of my old apartment. But it was much higher. I am thinking that I was looking too high.” He tilted his head. “Damn. There is that freaking back balcony/sun-thingy. I didn’t have one at the old place. Or let me rephrase, I couldn’t get to it. I bet that there was more to the apartment than anyone ever told me about. And doesn’t that just shit all over things.” He made a face. “But we have Alex now. He might be able to take a break from time to time and see if he can find the opening to the apartments at the front. I really think that they were apartments and not storage like people have said.” 

Chris nodded. “You are right. You have to be. I found some information in an old journal. The building was built and inhabited by an extended Clan. I’m not talking Mother, Dad, couple of kids and maybe grandparents. There was a whole LOT of them. It mentioned how the quarters opened up to each other and it made keeping the kids contained and cared for easier. They spoke about the front doors being open to the quarters across for breeze and to visit back and forth. And it gets even more informative, she wrote about the roof greenhouse and apartments. Whoever lived up there was in charge of keeping the greenhouse function at peak capacity.”

The entire table looked at him openmouthed. “Roof greenhouses? Are you serious? I thought that it was just decorative with that stuff up there. It’s not like I have been on top of one of the other buildings and looked to see what was on the top of this one. Wow. Damn, I think I want to move in here.” Allison looked at her father. 

“We are. Once we start finding the apartments you get your own and I get my own. There should be enough.” 

Melissa looked at Chris in surprise. “You are serious?”  
He nodded.  
“Security of pack.” Etienne’s voice was a deep rumble. “Easier to guard and fight.”  
Chris smiled at the young man. “Let’s find the apartments. From what she wrote there are two in the front of the building to watch the front. Etienne and Mouse will be at the front of the Café. Alex you are looking for those two quarters and one beside the large family apartment. There is always a smaller if there is a family. It didn’t take up the entire area.”

Alex looked thoughtful.  
“Wait? Really?” Scott was surprised. Then he got an odd look on his face. It would be outside of the cage. The wrought iron gates that keep people out and from falling down the stairs. If you brought something up the stairs you would HAVE to have enough room to get it in the door to the apartment. I think I know which two panels it would be. I’ll show you when we get the chance.” 

“So that would be one more for Melissa to be able to provide living quarters.”

Allison looked at Dean. “What about Dean since he is working at the Café now?”  
Chris held up his hand. “Dean will be in the apartment beside the laundry that we need to find that is over the Bookstore. He and Max can have their bromance and some of us don’t have to suffer through it.”  
Dean glared at Chris.  
“More seriously. I want Dean and Max on the second floor. They will be a surprise. They are young and don’t tend to keep a predictable schedule. It will give them the most room in a fight.”  
“Oh crap. I really don’t like the sound of that.” Stiles rubbed his arms.  
Dean nodded and surprisingly so did Max. “There are other things that can be arranged for the uninvited. The Wolfgard and those like them tend to be straight forward. Humans have become very adept at guerrilla warfare. I believe I have a number of ideas and with your permission I would consult with my Aunt Tory. Not the specifics of course, but she can certainly guide me in the right direction.”  
Dean looked at Max. “Not just a sweet, little old lady?”  
Max looked at Dean. “Wolfgards can heal from a number of injuries that would kill a human correct?”  
“Uh yeah. Usually. Why?”  
“I am growing rather fond of our bromance. I quite like having a boyfriend. It would be unfortunate if said boyfriend prompted my Aunt to gut him. From what I have read, you would survive but the whining would be intense and I would just as soon avoid the entire matter. Don’t piss off AuntTory. Are we in accord?”  
The entire table studied Max. “Wow. He woke up.” “Yeah, kinda cool.” “Don’t piss off AuntTory or she will gut you. Got it.”  
They turned back to Chris. Who studied Max. “What exactly did your father do for employment?”  
“He was a diplomat.”  
“And your AuntTory?”  
“She was when diplomacy failed.”  
Chris nodded. “So Dean and Max have the Market floor with AuntTory consulting. I have no problem with that. No problem at all. It’s a great idea. Glad you offered.”

The table was studying Max. Nodding. No wonder he fit in so well with the Wolfgard. 

“Who will be on the third floor of the Bookstore?”  
“There is one more small apartment we need Alex to find besides the two across the hall. There are five living quarters in this building. It will be Stile, Brigid & Alex then me. Sam will be in the apartment across from me. We will be nearest the stairs. Allison will be next to Sam.  
“You have given this some thought.”  
“Woke up last night and couldn’t go back to sleep.”  
“Okay. What about Lylith and Morgana?”  
“Herb Store.”  
“I thought we were letting that just sit?”  
“We were till we had a plan. Stiles came up with something that is workable. Lylith is powerful. She is very invested in her only daughter Morgana who is no slouch in the power department herself. More than that…” He looked over at Max. “I think that the two of them and your AuntTory could form a beautiful if very disturbing friendship.”  
Max began to pale and his eyes got very wide. “Loose the dogs of war. Release the Hounds of Hell.”  
Mouse made a very odd sound.  
Max blinked rapidly. Rolled his head and shoulders slightly as if he was trying to settle back into his skin. “Well. Yes. That should be… That should be… interesting. Fucking catastrophic. But interesting.”  
“Wait. What. I missed something here. I got the Dogs and Hounds and AuntTory and Lylith but.. Oh wait. I think I just caught a clue.” Stiles looked disturbed. Intrigued. But mostly disturbed. “You want to put Lylith and Morgana in the Herb Store. Stick AuntTory in there somewhere. I don’t know whether to kiss you are run away as fast and far as I can.” Stiles looked at Chris. “Because if Lylith buys the Herb Store then … it will keep the Coven’s nose out. She is vicious and has made her point very clear that they need to stop breathing her air. She would just as soon they stop breathing all together. So she could more than cover for the fact that certain people could come and visit and assist her with matters. The Coven aren’t the only ones that can do the hide a bad hair day hooded cloak routine.” He chewed on his bottom lip. Started nodding. “This is going to be amazing. This going to be… yeah. Okay.” He looked over at Morgana. “You think she is going to have a problem with any of this?”

Morgana laughed. She has been wanting the Herb Store for years. She has a book of plans she won’t let me see. She would go and visit Stiles when Teyla was gone. Stay for hours and then come back home and sit with her book and cackle. She’s my mother and I love her dearly. That was creepy as fuck. Hers is the final word but I am sure she will be in. She hates where we are now.”

“I think we have a plan.” Chris looked around. “Enough of one to start with anyway. We have an hour before the store is actually supposed to open. The Bookstore. Alex are you ready to do some Apartment finding?”

Alex hopped out of his chair and bounced over to Chris. “Okay. Alex finds them and the rest of the Bookstore staff figure out what we need to make them livable. We have 45 minutes. Let’s go!”

Melissa watched them head out of the back of the Bookstore to the stairwell that would lead them to the upper levels. Damn. She wished that she could play too. Oh well. It would still be fun when they had them opened. It couldn’t all happen in 45 minutes. She had stuff to cook, new people to train and a bright fucking future for the first time in what felt like a very long time. Today was going to be amazing.

“Come on. We can play later. We have food to get ready. We can do some finding of our own later. There will be plenty of surprises and fun things to do when the Café closes. You will be living here. You get to have fun all the time. Time to hit the Kitchen.”

Scott looked thoughtful. “I’ll be there in a minute. You don’t need me right away. I am going to show them where the two panels are. I’ll be back.” Scott took off up the stairs. He almost ran into Morgana who was coming back down. Melissa looked at her in surprise. “I’m going to go get Momma. She’s definitely going to want to be in on this. She has nothing that has to be done today and it will keep her from doing the search and destroy on a couple of the Coven that have gotten on her last nerve. “I’ll be back.” She went out the back door at a jog.  
It was going to be such an interesting day. Adding Lylith to the mix would be… rather like adding gunpowder. AuntTory should be in sometime today. All the ingredients were coming together to create something. Something beautiful. And deadly.

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Scott caught up to them on the second floor. “Hey, let me show you the panel I was talking about. They don’t need me right away. I can show you and then go back to work. The panels would probably be in the same places and be easier to find once you locate the one by our place. Okay?”

Alex was already nodding. They went up to the third floor and over to the Café quarters.  
“Here. These two panels. There has been something about them that has always caught my attention but I couldn’t figure out what.”  
Alex started studying the area with grave attention. Scott headed back down the stairs.  
“Oh. I see it now. It’s a rose. You press the rose to find the entrance.” Alex pressed the square and they heard a click. The panels moved back and slid inside the wall to reveal the door behind. Alex left them to open the door and moved on to the next section. Now that he knew what he was looking for the search went much quicker. Stiles touched the block that released the doors. “I looked right at that. I swear it was one that I touched.” He moved down to squat by Alex. Alex had narrowed in on the next panel. “It’s this one. But I can’t find the rose that looks like the first one.”  
“Maybe they aren’t exactly alike. Can you find one similar?”  
Alex studied the panel. “It’s like a code. Or one of those hidden pictures games. I can almost see it but not..exactly. He backed up and studied the area. Tilting his head one way then the other. I can’t see it but I know it is here.” He started pressing the carved blocks working his way down. It took him several minutes but they heard the click that signaled his search was rewarded. Finally. 

Brigid laughed and gathered him up in a hug. “Perfect timing. We need to get downstairs and get the store opened up. We can come back later and work on the rest of it.”  
Alex sighed but headed downstairs. It was the big kids that she had to go behind nipping at their heels. It made her feel slightly ridiculous. One of those ChiChi dogs nipping at the heels of wolves. But they did go. Foot dragging and whining every step of the way. She was about ready to send them all to Corner Time by the time she got them in the Bookstore and heading for their areas. Morgana had her area already set up. She was just waiting for the register drawer for the Herbal section. 

The rest were much less motivated. Till they looked around. 

A glance showed that there were people at the front door of the Bookstore waiting. People over at the Café milling around the still closed gate. That motivated the group to get their ass in gear and get the store open. It only took about five minutes to get ready. Chris opened the door and the gate. There may have been some obvious looks at watches but the humans were smart enough not to actually comment. 

People wandered around and found their spots. Brigid could see Lylith sitting in the Café sipping on a mug of something warm. She must be here to talk to Chris and find out more details than Morgana would have been able to tell her. Brigid straightened her area and started on a “I need to” list. She wondered where the Sewing Club was. She was low on Stiles bags and Seven Scents bags. 

She leaned forward slightly to see if she could spot them having something in the Café before they came in and got busy. Yep, there they were at a corner section. With piles of stuff. It must be a craft day. 

Lylith was watching Scott. Not obviously but steadily. It concerned Brigid. It wasn’t as creepy as she first though. It was more like studying him. He had been a bit…off… lately. Like he had a difficult time focusing. Brigid had noticed but had put it down to all of the things that were going on. She certainly felt overwhelmed sometimes. It was hard to figure out where to start when all of the stuff that needed to be done kept hitting you in the face. 

It was professional. That was it. Lylith was studying him as a Healer. That could be a bit of not good. Damn. She would try to keep a closer eye on him. The first little flurry of customers decided that they had found what they needed and that consumed her attention. 

Chris got his part settled and wandered over to talk to her. They went to the back to talk. 

Brigid hated to admit it. She and someone else had talked about it briefly. The customer was a regular “bookwyrm” as some of them called themselves. They liked Teyla well enough. But they wouldn’t cry when she left. As long as they still had their Stiles it was all good. 

Lylith as the Healer next door would be better. She would not. She would not. Go away thought. Hopefully Chris would try her out and they could get rid of her if she ended up being worse than the crapfest with Teyla. Wow. Her vocabulary had deteriorated. Too much time around Stiles and the other boys, which included Chris. And that sounded much worse than she meant. Try her out and get rid of her if she didn’t work out. She needed to hang with the girls more often. 

Then she thought about some of the conversations that had taken place when the guys were out of earshot. No. They really weren’t any better than the males. She could admit it. She sighed and sat on her stool. Alex came over to lean on her for cuddles. She wasn’t the only one that was tired and getting off to a slow start. 

Stiles looked like he would rather just crawl back in bed. The girls were a bit droopy. And they were all much younger than she was. Chris was right. Bigger, better plan. They ran the store. The store didn’t run them. Uh-huh. That was so true…not. 

She sat on her stool, cuddled her son and watched the people wander around. It was kind of boring. She had forgotten what that felt like. She was going to enjoy it. It wouldn’t last long around here. Boring never hung around the Wolfgard. They took one look at it and pounced with paws and teeth. She better spend as much time with Boring as she could before it was chased off by Mr. Excitement. 

She was spending way too much time with Alex and the other boys writing books about their days at the store. She really, really was. Boring as a character? Mr. Excitement? She found herself snickering. The saddest thing? The customers kind of glanced over, smiled or nodded and then went back to what they were doing. 

Should she be worried about that? The customers thought it was normal to have someone snickering for no apparent reason? Especially if that someone was her? Well crap. She looked at Alex. He looked at her. They got the giggles. The person that had come to the counter to be checked out looked surprised. Before Brigid could get the giggles under control, they jumped over and infected the person on the other side of the counter. It was a ripple effect through the store. Sometimes things like that was one of the best things about being around other people. A feeling of… a weird kind of belonging. It was going to be a good day. A really good day.


	44. BROMANCE INTERLUDE ~ now extended version

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to ... my favorite cheerleaders. 
> 
> Written to Chasing Cars. 
> 
> http://youtu.be/GemKqzILV4w

Brigid congratulated herself. She had been right. Actually good right instead of ‘am I the only one seeing the poo-storm bearing down on us’ kind of right. It has been a good day. She got in an hour nap. Wasn’t that about the most interesting part of entire retail experience. Could she possibly put this under proof of customer rapport? 

It was the fault of the ugly chair. No that was wrong. It should be Ugly Chair. And Peter. He was always good for a blaming. Even if he hadn’t done the deed he had been up to something. He had walked in the front door that was helpfully opened by a couple of young guys. She was impressed that he could pick the thing up and carry it. It was large. Wooden which was really nice. It was carved and ornate and that part was pretty. The upholstery. Holy Moley the upholstery. It was…tapestry? Puked up pink roses and green snot leaves. On a yellowish background that reminded her of something left out too long. The too long right before it turns to slime. 

He carried the chair over to her and put it down to the side of the counter. 

Brigid looked at the chair. The store was looking at the chair. The people in the Café were studiously NOT looking at the chair if they were eating. “Where did you get the sick up chair?”  
Peter blinked at her. He really did have uselessly long lashes for a man. “Sick up chair?”  
Brigid nodded. Bookwyrm was resisting buying so she was on the book side of the store. Staring longingly at Stiles and his treasures. “I have to use what I have first. And I get to use it first. Husband may not borrow Stiles creams while complaining that they smell floofy. Children may not borrow. Stiles creams are the only thing between them and strangling by deranged mother.” She stopped and blinked. She looked at Brigid. Peter looked at her in bemusement. “Spending a bit too much time with the Wolfgard are we my dear?”  
Both women nailed him with a look. “Why DID you bring the sick up chair in here?”  
“Chris mentioned how comfortable it was. It would be nice to have something that he could sit and relax in when he got the chance. It has a footstool but I didn’t bring it.”  
Brigid and Bookwyrm looked at the chair. Looked at each other. “Where was this chair?”  
“Why?” Peter sounded just a hair defensive.  
Brigid shuddered. “Please tell me it didn’t match the rest of the room.”  
Bookwyrm looked slightly ill. “Was the decorator color blind?” Her eyes widened. “Is Chris color blind?”  
Another regular glanced over and was compelled forward. Her face a grimace of distaste usually reserved for something really vile that a person stepped in rather than over. “Whoa. Who actually made puked up roses material?”  
Bookwyrm nodded. “Gail.”  
Gail was too captivated in a twisted way to acknowledge her friend. She was slowly walking around the chair. “It’s like being at the scene of an accident as it is about to happen. You know it is going to be bad. You really don’t want to look at it but you can’t make yourself look away.”  
Brigid leaned back slightly and prepared to enjoy today’s entertainment.  
“Why did he bring it here?” Gail looked over at the Sewing Club. “Are they taking commissions or something. Stiles can do a lot of things but healing this chair is beyond his skills.”  
“No lie there.”  
Peter drew himself up. He was a muscular man. Impressive and imposing.  
Gail and Bookwyrm hit him with a look. “What did you do?”  
Brigid helped. “He brought it for Chris. Chris thought it was comfortable.”  
“Is this a 'have screwed up, have or have not been caught at it' present?”  
“What? NO!”  
“You just decided that Chris needed this chair based on some comment he made. Right?”  
“Well…”  
Mommy finger came up.. “Your choices are yes or no. Which one?”  
He did resist. But did cave to combined “you will fess up now” looks from both women. “Yes?”  
“You’re not sure?”  
Gail snorted. “If he was sure would he have brought THAT? I’m thinking it rates right up there with getting out of bed and stepping on the dead rodent one of my animals brought in for me to praise them for!”  
“He is male.”  
“Believe me, I noticed. There is certainly no way you can miss it in those pants.”  
Peter pulled his coat a little more around him.  
“It’s probably a bromance present.” Bookwyrm looked doubtful but was trying to be kind.  
Gail snorted. “Didn’t you say the other day that glaciers moved faster than their bromance?”  
Bookwyrm glared at her friend. “I did not.”  
Look Of Disbelief patent pending from Gail.  
“I didn’t say glacier. I said iceberg.”  
“Oh of course. My bad.”  
Bookwyrm cut to the heart of the matter. She looked at Brigid. “Where’s Chris?”  
“He is working on book orders in the back.”  
“Good. We have time.” She looked around. “You! Here!” pointing to a spot in front of her. “You are now part of the intervention. Take this to the Sewing Club. Take up a collection for them something to drink when they see this…thing. Get them to do something. They are genius in there. Time for them to prove it.”  
The young Wolfgard cautiously picked up the chair with an expression of distaste and took it to the Sewing Club room. That proved that some Wolfgard were NOT color-blind or taste-blind.  
They could hear the exclamations from where they were standing. There was a gagging sound from someone that had a sensitive stomach today. Then there came the cry of battle. “Oh holy shit. That’s got to go! It looks like someone puked up roses.”  
Bea was either in there or she would be called in for this crisis. She was calm and steadfast in the face of dire circumstances. That chair was...  
Yep. She could hear the Sewing Club now putting in an emergency phone call. The tones from the room started out a little high and stressed at having to deal with the Ugly Chair. "We are a Sewing Club. NOT miracle workers." "How close are you? Something throw a blanket or something over that thing before people start puking."  
The doors opened and Bea rolled in like a tidal wave. Her face was flushed with the cold and the light of battle was in her lovely eyes. The stripes in her hair were glowing with Sewing power. People got out of her way, Human and Other alike. There was trouble and the battle fury was here. It was like Mom coming to make everything alright again. "There. There. I'm here." There was a startled sound and Bea...almost...cussed. They could hear her draw her weapon.  
"What. Is. That?"  
"Peter brought it."  
"Why is Peter Hale bringing his kills to us? Why couldn't he just bury it or something like a good little vampire?"  
Whispering.  
"Are you serious? In what universe is that...thing an acceptable bromance gift. Even a "I have so messed up and you can't believe I very sorry I am" present....or was he giving Chris the....thing to make what ever he got caught at seem less evil than bringing him this???"  
More muttering.  
"Enough. I have a plan. Here is what we are going to do."  
The low rumbling growl of battle plans being made was heard from the room.  
Wolfgard and human shifted back to get out of the possible line of fire as Bea did battle with the Ugly Chair.  
There was never any question of who would win. Bea was a force of nature. It was whispered that there was some Elemental in her family tree back a few thousand years. That kind of thing tended to hang around.  
Death throes were heard from the room. The material was removed. Someone came up with a bio-hazard container. 

Brigid nodded. The situation was now well in Bea's hands. She would turn that...thing into a suitable present to woo Chris. They had their own problem on their hands.

Bookwyrm and Gail rounded on Peter. He took a step back before he could stop himself.  
They smiled sweetly. Peter shuddered. “We need to talk.” Sanguinati could actually turn rather pale.  
They surrounded him, took him by the arms, yes copping a feel. Such nice muscle. And led him toward the Café. “Let’s talk about presents. Food is good. Food can be very sensual. Ever fed someone some delicious desert?”  
“Oh. How about using them as the plate? That was nice. Did that once.” They sighed over romance that once was. Then they focused on their objective. “We are going to go and talk to Max. You are going to throw yourself on his mercy. He is such a sweet boy. He will help you out. Come on. Stop dragging your feet. You’ll wear out your shoes.”  
Brigid watched them tow Peter away. He was the freighter. They were the tug-boats. He didn’t have a prayer of resisting. The best he could do was to go along and try to preserve some dignity. 

They should film some of this stuff. And advertise. “Your bromance moment was brought to you courtesy of the Bookstore featuring Bookwyrm, Gail and Peter. Tune in tomorrow good folks for another rousing adventure. This is Brigid signing off.” 

Brigid blinked. She really needed to stop watching those really old serial movies. Like really needed to stop. This was a chocolate bite moment. She hesitated and stayed at her register. “Alex sweetie?”  
“Yes Momma.”  
“Would you please go and get us some chocolate bites?”  
He looked at his mother. “Did you do something that requires chocolate or was it someone else.”  
“Me? I didn’t do anything. Did you see the chair that Peter brought for Chris.”  
Alex shuddered. “Peter needs remedial coloring. Roses shouldn’t be that color. I’m not sure what the other stuff was. Okay. I’ll go and get chocolate for having to look at that. I’ll be back in a moment.”  
One child distracted from possible Mommy mischief. Two packages of chocolate bites coming up.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Peter had been right. The chair was as comfortable as it was ugly. Or it had been. The Sewing Club took care of that. It was now a tasteful slate grey Damask pattern shot through with greenish blue. It was seriously heavy fabric meant to be abused. They had stuck it over there by her register when they had finished. She thought that they had gone to burn the original material. They left holding it by fingertips in it's biohazard container.

She had fallen asleep in that chair. Had only woke up an hour later to find her employer eating a tiny pie and watching her. “Peter left.”  
She blinked at him. “I’m sorry?”  
“For?”  
She blinked a bit more. “Whatever I should be sorry for?” She sat up. “Oh heck. I fell asleep. I’m sorry. I am so very sorry. Please don’t be mad. You can dock my pay. It won’t happen again. Mupfh.”  
Chris had stuck the last bite of pie in her mouth. “Call us even for unpaid bromance consultation.” He walked off leaving her choking on her pie. Whoa. Her very nice pie. What was that? She hadn’t had that before.  
Allison snickered. “He isn’t mad. He spent most of the time you were asleep tending your register and cackling. Max and Dean gave Peter bromance lessons. They role-played. Peter refused to role-play. So some of the customers at the Café were him and Chris. Max made small pies that could be fed by hand. He and Dean demonstrated. It was. Interesting. Peter got the first batch for Chris. Max has been baking tiny pies ever since. You deserved the break. Here. Max sent you over a pie all of your own as a token of his esteem for your dedication to bromance.” Allison handed her a pie.  
Brigid ate it. Snickering with every bite. Sometimes life was good. Sometimes it was a freaking circus and they were all clowns

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Bookwyrm exchanged a glance with Gail. Males never really grew up . They just got bigger. Peter was not willing to cooperate and was having the most amazing sulking fit.

Max and Dean had been willing to do a role play about bromance. Max had flirted and fed Dean a small pie that he had just made a small piece at a time. Dean was flirting back for all he was worth. He was enjoying the game. That was obvious. It was also pretty evident that Max could get Dean to do most anything for pie. Almost anything. He might baulk at putting on a dress but that would be about it. It was so cute and so sad. 

It had been Peter’s turn. Dean had been willing to be Chris. For more pie. Peter had folded his arms and refused to be moved. “I’m not doing it. Nope. Not doing it. Can’t make me.”  
“He’s not getting into the spirit of this is he?” Gail muttered.  
Bookwyrm got an idea. A most wicked grin crossed her face. She looked at the crowd of avid customers. “I think poor Peter is kind of shy. Max and Dean did a good job but it was their kind of bromance. Peter and Chris are different. Maybe a couple of you would be willing to role-play for him and give him some ideas. Evidently he needs a little help in the bromance department.”  
The look of shocked outrage on Peter’s face was amazing. “I’m doing fine in the bromance department. I am doing great in fact. Couldn’t be going better.” 

“I’ll be Peter.” A young darkhaired Wolfgard stood.  
“Chris.” The Wolfgard was blond.  
The hair colors were right. That was about the only thing right about the performance. Bookwyrm and Gail were giggling. Melissa was even worse. It had to be the most stiff and stilted conversation ever. The horror of every first blind date. “Hi.” “Hi.” “You look nice today.” “You look nice too.” There was this silence. “Wanna go eat? Max baked pie.” “Sure. I like Max’s pies.” “I do too! We have so much in common. We should spend more time together.” Max handed each of them a small pie. 

Melissa got into the fun. “Well Peter. I am sure that you can do better than that. Why don’t you give it a try.”  
Peter had this odd look on his face.  
“Might want to move back. My cat looks like that right before it yacks up a hairball.”  
The Wolfgard looked blank for a moment but then hastily moved back a step from Peter.  
Who knew!? The ability to stick out the bottom lip seemingly half way down the face in a pout was not lost with childhood. Peter evidently needed more…coaxing. 

“Next.” Melissa looked out over the crowd. The males had a good deal in common with Dean. You could get them to do some strange things for pie. Two more Wolfgard raised their hands. Stepped up to the informal ‘stage’ and gave a marginally less stilted performance. They did know each other and were somewhat friendly. It got them pie and the humans introduced the concept of polite applause.

The next two were close friends. They did pretty well till it got more romantic. They got the giggles and passed them to the rest of the group. They did get pie. 

Max ran out of pie and had to move on to some other reward for the effort to promote bromance.  
Peter’s pout grew marginally less. Mainly because Chris was now leaning in the archway watching.  
The performances varied in skill and sincerity. They all did put forth a good effort. 

“Okay this will be the last one. I’m out of treats.” Max announced as a Wolfgard was pushed forward. Actually it was more like he was tripped and pushed forward. The look on his face back at his ‘friends’ promised that there would be blood and pain later. He was good looking if you discounted the scowl. 

Chris straightened slightly in case there was trouble. 

None of the other Wolfgard stepped up to play ‘Chris’. 

“Ouch. Quit poking me damnit. Fine. I’ll do it.” There was some startled movements as the human stepped forward. He had thick straight golden brown hair that hung past his shoulders in a low tail. Where the Wolfgard was built rather like a wrestler, he was built more like a swimmer. Wide shoulders tapering down to narrow waist and long legs. Muscles long and sleek rather than the compacted bulk of the Wolfgard. 

He studied the Wolfgard. Strolled over to a table and started looking in a package. He came back to the Wolfgard at a slow walk. He made no pretense he wasn’t checking the other guy out. He didn’t stop when he reached the other guy but slowly circled around him. Just out of arm’s reach. He stopped in front of the Wolfgard and made eye contact. He had something in his hand. With the other he reached up and back and slowly pulled the elastic out of his hair. He tucked the elastic in his pocket and showed the Wolfgard what he was holding. It was a small can. He moved forward. As he did he ran his fingers through his hair loosening it. It rippled and flowed. He stopped about a foot and a half away. 

He had to look up to meet the Wolfgard’s eyes. Which were riveted on him. He had the Wolfgard’s full attention along with most of the rest of the room. “Ever had this?” He showed the Wolfgard the can. “I like this frosting. It’s not sickeningly sweet. Butter-something.” He took off the plastic top and opened the pop top on the can. He looked and licked the frosting that was stuck to the top of the seal. “It would be a shame to waste something good.” He tossed the now clean top into the trash and moved slightly closer. “Sweet is nice sometimes isn’t it?” He stuck his finger into the frosting and studied the glob that he pulled out. “But sweet gets old quick. Doesn’t take long to get tired of it. Sometimes you want something…different." He looked from the frosting to the Wolfgard. “Something that you don’t get tired of quickly.” He shifted closer. “Ever feel that way? Wanting something that you don’t get tired of?” He went back to studying the frosting. “Sometimes you have to taste to see if you like something. Take a chance. Be brave.” 

He smiled at the Wolfgard. “You’re good at the brave part aren’t you?” He slowly reached out and touched the frosting coated finger to the Wolfgard’s mouth. The Wolfgard wasn’t certain what to do. 

“Try a taste. You might like it. Just leave the finger.”  
The Wolfgard licked. Hesitantly. He frowned thoughtfully. Then his lips quirked up into a slight smile. He took the human’s finger in his mouth to suck the frosting off.  
The heating in the room must have kicked in then because it got….warm.  
His cheeks hollowed slightly as he used tongue and suction to get all of the cream. 

The human’s lips parted slightly and he began to flush. He pulled his finger out of the Wolfgard’s mouth. “More?”  
“Please.”  
He dipped a bit more out of the can. There was a very faint tremor that could be detected by the Wolfgard watching.  
His hand was taken in the Wolfgard’s larger hand. Held steadily as the creamy frosting was again licked off.  
“You’re right. It wouldn’t be something that I would get tired of. Not quickly. Perhaps not for a very long time. I think I need one more sample.” He let go of the human’s hand.  
The human wasn’t paying as much attention as he should. The edge of the can was sharp. He hissed in pain and surprise as he cut his finger as he dipped some of the frosting. The room froze. Blood began to well staining the creamy frosting. He was blinking in surprise at the sudden bright pain.  
The Wolfgard gently grasped his hand. Made eye contact and began to lick the finger free of cream and blood.  
The human’s eyes got very wide. His eyes weren’t the only ones. Things had just gotten more serious.  
The watchers could see the human’s shoulders began to relax. He studied his finger in surprise when the Wolfgard released it.  
“You’d be surprise what I can and am willing to lick better.” It was soft and low. An intimate tone. “My turn now. You need a taste since it is something that you enjoy.” The Wolfgard dipped his finger in the frosting. He followed the human’s lips smearing them with frosting not letting him capture the teasing finger. When the human looked at him confused. The Wolfgard leaned in. The frosting was shared in light sucking kisses. That both teased and promised. The Wolfgard pulled back and cupped the back of the human’s head and pulled it to his chest. He looked over at Max. “Forget the pie. I want frosting.” He took the can from the guy’s hand and tossed it to Dean. “Something like that. I think that you can do better though.” 

Max said before he thought. “There is no way I could do better than that. It was amazing. Oh. The frosting. Yes. I can make frosting. In fact, I think that I will get started right this very second. After I get a drink of water though. Is the heat on in here? It’s kind of warm.” He made a sudden trip to the bathroom. The customers shifted forward to get a look at the can. Dean helpfully showed them the label. Notes were made. 

The Wolfgard was still holding the human. Whispering softly. Until the chuckles started and grew to giggles. That had been much more intense than anyone had expected. 

Bookwyrm fanned herself and looked at Gail. “They definitely understand bromance.” She looked at Peter. “Good luck.” She looked back at Gail. “Chocolate till he gets that frosting made. My treat.”  
They got in the line with the other customers. “Someone really needs to do something about the heat in here. Someone must have really cranked it up.”  
Heads nodded in agreement. Warm. Very warm.

p


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one ended up being rather short. 
> 
> http://youtu.be/0nVCZReA1L4 Sara Bareilles Blessed Unrest
> 
> the part between Dean and Max is Halo by Beyonce
> 
> http://youtu.be/bnVUHWCynig

Chris was sitting in his office doing the end of day tasks. He looked over at The Chair. He had moved it into his office after Brigid and then Alex had fallen asleep in it. Peter had brought the foot stool that went with the chair. He had set it outside the Sewing Club room and scooted it inside then left. The Sewing Club was not happy with him. They rose to the occasion and re-upholstered the foot stool as well. 

After Alex had woken from his nap, Chris had moved it to his office to keep The Chair from taking any more prisoners. He was joking but not. It came from the Hales. Sanguinati lived a very long time and some very interesting lives. The Chair could very well have been endowed with some sort of …something. 

As if his thoughts conjured him, Peter appeared in the open doorway of Chris’ office. He strolled in and sat in The Chair and put his feet up on the footstool ankles crossed. He studied Chris. 

Chris nodded but went back to closing down the store and getting the envelopes ready. He paid every evening unlike Melissa. That way if they wanted to leave then they didn’t have to come back in the morning for their money. It wasn’t a problem anymore. Brigid and Alex had settled in. They weren’t voluntarily leaving. 

The safe that he had somehow inherited, mainly because no one wanted to move the fucker, was massive. It was a safe within a safe. The lower part also closed and locked. The upper part had shelves that would hold lockboxes. It was tradition that employers provided a place for their workers to keep their money. 

Morgana and Lydia dealt with their own financial affairs. He wasn’t about to get into that. Allison, Brigid and Alex had a lockbox and a shelf where they put their earnings. Alex had decorated his first. Brigid and Allison thought it was a great idea. 

Chris cringed every time he opened the safe. He guessed he should just be grateful they didn’t decide to use glitter or those fake press on jewels. 

Sam’s was flat black. Chris had been more than a little shocked when Sam had come into the office some time back and put the box on Chris’ desk. Nothing was ever said between them. It was a matter of trust. He had his own shelf as well. Dean would hand Sam a bag or envelope to put in his box. Dean had a variety of jobs but he handled his money himself. Until that bag went into Sam’s lockbox. That shocked Chris more than Sam handing it to him to keep in the Bookstore safe. 

Nothing was said when Stiles took the money out of the Stiles’ bag and put it in a lockbox and handed it back to Chris. No words. Chris understood that Stiles no longer felt that he could trust Teyla and wasn’t keeping his money in the safe that he had used for years at the Herb Store. 

Chris looked at the envelopes on his desk. 

They were now heavy brown paper that had each person’s name on the front. Alex had decided it was silly to go through so many envelopes to put each person’s pay in the envelope daily. He had gone shopping with his mother and they had come up with those envelopes and handed them out. There was a color and decorating session that Earthday. From then on that was what Chris was to use to put their money in. 

He put the cash in the envelopes and closed them. He was done. He got up and told Peter “Come on. I need to pay everyone.” The lower part of the safe was locked up the lockboxes were available. The safe door was ajar. 

Chris handed out the envelopes. 

Alex looked thoughtful. “I have money I haven’t spent. I’m just going to put it all in my box. He frowned at Chris. I think we need to do a money trade.” They went back to the office. 

The rest followed and got out their boxes. They would put what they wanted to in their box and the rest in their pocket. 

Chris opened up the bottom part and looked at Alex. Alex opened up his lockbox and everyone else stepped out of the room. “I’ve got too much little money.” They counted together the smaller bills traded for the bigger bills. It took a little bit but they reduced the amount of bills in his box to a few. Alex was much happier with that. He shut his lockbox and handed it to Chris to put back on his shelf. He had a stool he could stand on but it was much easier for Chris or his mother to just put it back for him. 

“Uh. If you don’t mind, I’d like to do the same please?” Brigid stuck her head in. Allison and Sam waved at him as well. 

“Brigid first then.”  
It took her no time at all to change it out. She was faster than he was at the process. Allison and Sam were slower but it was still quick. Shopping money was put in pockets and the safe was shut and secured. 

They looked at each other then they looked at Peter. “Are you going to bromance Chris now?” Alex asked what was on everyone’s mind.   
Peter’s face grew very cold and for the first time the people in the room were reminded that he was Sanguinati. Alex went over and held his arms up to be picked up.   
Brigid looked at her child in shock.   
It worked. Peter was surprised enough at the reaction to actually pick him up.   
Alex’s yawn surprised them both. Alex was blinking rapidly trying to recover from having his jaw trying to detach itself. He kind of shook himself. He put his arms around Peter’s neck and leaned his head against the side of Peter’s head. “Chris takes care of people.”   
“Your point?” Peter was still chilly.  
“Who takes care of him? It’s nice to have somebody who thinks that you are their Special.” 

Peter turned his head and they were almost nose to nose. It made an interesting image. Peter was adult. Alex was all soft child curves. Alex rubbed his nose against Peter’s. “He likes you. He might let you take care of him.” 

Peter licked Alex’s nose and did manage to keep hold of him during the resulting flailing. “I believe you have living quarters to find. Are you too tired to do that?”  
Alex shook his head. “I can do it. We eat first. Melissa will feed you. Clean up and then we go look.” He draped himself more over Peter’s shoulder. “You can carry me.”   
Peter’s mouth twitched. “I have that honor?”  
“You’re comfortable. You have padding.”  
“Excuse me? Padding? Did you just call me FAT?”  
Alex just sighed deeply. “Peter.” There was such a wealth of emotion in the name. “Do not be a girl. You are not fat. You ass isn’t big. Your hair looks fine. Now can we go eat?”

Peter did move out of the office toward Melissa’s. “What did you mean by padding?”  
“Stiles is bony. Scott is better to sleep on but he’s kind of bony too. Chris has poky shoulders. Yours are comfortable.”   
Peter gave him side eye.   
“Dude, he’s right. You are seriously in touch with your inner feminine. He is talking about muscle distribution. Scott and Stiles are young. They have muscles but they are still filling out. Chris is muscular but it’s in his arms and chest. He does have bony shoulders. Your neck and shoulders are much thicker with muscle. Makes you more comfortable to nap on evidently. Don’t care to know personally.” Dean just shook his head and turned around. “Foods on. Isn’t going to keep forever. Get over here and eat. Can’t be waiting on you people all night. Things to do you know.”

They quietly watched Peter figuring out how to cope with the fact that tonight he was Alex’s Special. He was the one that Alex clung to. Loved on and cuddled. It was cute. It was heart-wrenching. After the first bit of hilarious awkwardness, Peter seemed to hit his stride. He was familiar with dealing with a small child. Very familiar. The tender kisses pressed to the top of a brown head. The gentleness that was unexpected. The way he managed tasks with a child passed out into sleep draped across his shoulder. It made them wonder where that small, obviously beloved child had gone.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Max watched Dean. They had agreed that hunting for the apartments would wait for the next day. When Alex would be rested and able to stay awake for it. They had gone their separate ways.

Dean had followed him to his apartment. Mouse and Etienne had enough help to clean the apartments they had already discovered and would be moving into. It would work for tonight.   
He sat on the couch that had been moved into his apartment. Beside a very pensive Dean. He leaned against him. 

Dean surprised him and pulled him into his arms so he could be cradled against Dean’s chest. He didn’t mind at all but wondered what had prompted such a reaction. 

“They didn’t play games.”   
“Pardon? Whom?”  
“The Wolfgard and the Human that were doing the role play of Peter and Chris. The girls are calling them Wolf and Hugh.”   
“I get the Wolf short of Wolfgard but Hugh?”  
“Hugh for Human.”  
“Oh. Yes. I see. You were saying?”  
“I have no idea what I’m saying. Words have never been my thing. That’s Sam. He’s the brain with the big words.”  
“That’s not true and you know it. You have a different style of communication. It’s generally referred to as ‘no bullshit’. I find it preferable.”  
“Even though when you forget yourself and talk natural you sound like you swallowed a dictionary?”  
“Most especially then. Words have long been my defense. I would prefer not to have to feel defensive with you.”   
“I get that. I do.” 

Max smiled. “Want to feed each other frosting? I made some special. It is over there on the counter.”   
Dean’s face morphed from sadness to surprise to laughter. “I just think that I can manage that. Wanna role-play Wolf and Hugh?”  
“Go get the frosting.” 

Dean retrieved the frosting and sat on the couch facing Max. He handed Max the container. Or tried to.   
“You get to be Hugh. You are more than brawn. You have courage even in a situation where you are out of your comfort area, feeling overwhelmed and very doubtful that it won’t end very badly. I think that very much describes you.”   
Dean looked at Max. His eyes were very vulnerable for a few seconds. His mouth quirked up into a faint smile. “I can do that.”   
“I know you can. Show me.”

Dean dipped his finger into the container. He traced Max’s lips with his frosted covered finger. “You have the most expressive lips. That bottom lip fascinates me. Sometimes when you are thinking you chew on it. It makes me wonder what it tastes like?” Dean leaned forward and caught Max’s lip between his teeth and then sucked it.   
Max’s breath stuttered. This was much more than he was expecting.   
Dean used the very tip of his tongue to delicately remove small sections of frosting. It made their lips cling from the sweetness of the frosting.   
Dean put a stripe of frosting down Max’s nose. “I like your nose. It’s all aristocratic. Straight. Elegant.” He used his lips and tongue to kiss the frosting off then rubbed noses. “Makes me wonder what it would be like to have you lose all that refined elegance.” A swipe went over the high cheekbone. “Freckles. Makes sense if you are a ginger under the coloring.” He licked the line and moved back to Max’s ear. He nibbled on the lobe. “I like the sound of your voice. I like the sounds you make when I rub your feet. I’d like to discover all your sounds.” He moved to nibble the line of Max’s throat. “Your tastes.” He moved back up to Max’s mouth. “I want you.”   
Max sighed. “Yesssss.”


	46. Chapter 46

“Did you whammy that chair?”  
Peter looked at Chris. Both eyebrows were rather high. He wondered if Chris was. “Did I what? Whammy?” Peter moved closer to Chris as they were sitting in the back mystery area of the Bookstore. Everyone else was upstairs in their quarters. That actually gave them a fair amount of privacy down here. Chris was stretched out on the daybed. That the Sewing Club hadn’t found yet. They were like puppies looking for something to chew but instead they were looking for something to sew. He let them keep the room that they had taken over. He locked the wrought iron gates that led to the back of the building and put the paneling back up on the back side. So they couldn’t see what they were missing out putting their sewing skills to. 

He had his hiding spot at the very back. It was where he had gone when things had been shitty at home or just in life in general. It was a happier place these days. 

Peter ran his nails down the bottom of Chris’ sock-clad feet. The reaction gave him plenty of room to sit on the other end of the daybed. He toed off his shoes and got comfortable. “Did you get into something in Melissa’s kitchen?”   
Chris stuck his feet in Peter’s lap with a huff. “No asshole. I did not get into something in Melissa’s kitchen. Brigid sat in The Chair and in about five minutes she was out cold. She is not the type to fall asleep at work. It took Alex even less time to curl up in it and crash. The chair is comfortable but not that comfortable. Or at least it wasn’t when it was at your place. That big leather couch was where I crashed every time I sat or laid on it. What did you do to The Chair?”  
Peter shrugged. “I thought that you didn’t believe in that kind of stuff.”   
“I deal with Stiles on a daily basis now.”  
“Which has what to do with our conversation?”

Chris moved so his head was in Peter’s lap rather than his feet. Peter was at a diagonal resting against the mound of reject pillows Chris had collected. Ugly but comfortable. Chris settled in and tried to relax.   
Peter was still for a moment. He put one arm across Chris’ chest.   
The only light in the room was a lamp in the corner. It gave off a pale rose glow that made it useless to try to read by but good enough to see what was on the floor. It made the atmosphere rather intimate with the other lights off.   
“There are a number of things we don’t talk about. Even for guys. I’m not stupid and neither are you. I am well aware that communication is the key to any successful relationship. I know I have tried enough with Victoria.”   
“Mumm.” It was a sound more than a word. Peter was listening.  
“I’ve given up. I’m done. One more mistake made.”  
“Allison.”  
“What?”  
“You got Allison out of it. I would say that makes the whole mess viable.”  
Silence. Chris nodded. “True.”   
“So?”  
“I know that you can do more than I know about. I know that there are things that the Sanguinati can do that would blow my tiny little Wolfgard mind. You have very carefully kept that… We have very carefully walked all around that. Maybe I’m tired of walking around things and pretending that they don’t exist. It hasn’t helped. It hasn’t made anything…anything at all…any better.”  
“What do you want then Christopher?”  
Chris closed his eyes and tilted his head back. He shrugged. “My marriage is over. I am probably going to kill my wife the next time I see her. Fuck a divorce.”  
“If I don’t get to her first, be my guest.” 

Chris shifted slightly. “Why didn’t you play along with Bookwyrm?”  
“Why should I?”  
“I don’t know. You are usually more up for things like that. Rattling cages.”

Peter ran the fingers of the hand that wasn’t across Chris’ chest through Chris’ hair. “Dean would actually start freaking once it hit him that he was about to get up close and personal with a Sanguinati. That would be one reason. The other was that you were the only person in the room that I wanted to get up close and personal with.”   
“Hummm.”  
“I did watch you.”   
“Oh?”  
“It was rather enlightening.”  
Chris frowned.   
“I have always respectfully kept my distance in public for a number of reasons. There has been distance between us for some time and for a variety of very good reasons.”  
Chris shifted uncomfortably.   
Peter tightened his grip on Chris’ chest and in his hair. “We are older now. I have better control. Your control is stronger as well. That first little interlude when we were very young was a…”  
Chris started snickering. “It was a disaster. Neither of us were expecting half of what happened. If it hadn’t scared the ever-loving shit out of both of us it would have been the start of a wonderful comedy show.” Chris chuckled.   
“Hummm, it took a few years before I could find the humor in the situation. I admit looking back from this perspective… I think that Grandfather was one step away from grabbing us both by the scruff and giving us “what will and will NOT work between Wolfgard and Sanguinati” Class 101. 

Chris shifted and rubbed his face against Peter’s chest. “I wish he had.”  
Peter shook his head. “You needed to marry. It was political and so necessary in many ways. It gave you Allison. It was for the best that things happened the way they did. I would have gutted her the first time she gave you that look and tone in public otherwise.”   
“It was very obvious how little the two of you liked each other.”   
Peter snorted. “We loathed each other and wished the other dead almost every day.”  
“Almost every day?”  
“Allison. I didn’t wish her dead until after she delivered Allison.”   
Chris nodded. “The years when Allison was a baby were some of the best years. She was busy getting her life and career back. I had no problem being the one that took care of the baby. My mother was delighted to help. My father was doing whatever the hell somewhere else. Those were some of the better times of my life. They didn’t last nearly long enough.”  
“No they didn’t.”

Chris took a deep breath. There was a sharp pain in his chest. “Where did they go?”  
“Whom?”  
“They young men that we were?”  
“We grew up.”  
“Did we? Or did we just grow older and start giving up?”

Peter lowered his face into Chris’ hair. “Obligations. Commitments. They have to be to more than just yourself. If you do everything just for what you want and need… you aren’t worth much. Duty. Loyalty. Sacrifice. All those words we thought we understood and were so proud to pursue. Then we found out the price. And found it so very, very dear. We discovered that sometimes if you deeply love… you have to walk away sometimes to give love space to grow.” 

“Grow and not wither?”  
“Love doesn’t wither. It changes. It takes what it gets and says ‘thank you’.”  
“Thank you? Where the fuck do you get ‘thank you’? I don’t think that there was much to be grateful for.”  
“Life. Still living. Still breathing. There is still a chance. Hope. As long as one of us is still breathing there is always hope. Love isn’t selfish. It wants happiness but not at the cost of another’s. Love doesn’t count cost. Doesn’t keep a scorecard. Nobody ever said it was easy. Or for the weak. Love requires and gives strength. You have seen that first hand. We both have. What the price could be if you dare to love. Blood on snow.” 

Chris nodded. “He was a hell of a man.”   
“He was. His son is much like him.”  
Chris snorted.   
Peter tighten his grip in Chris’ hair till he arched up in pain. “He is much like his father. He is Wolfgard. You are Wolfgard. He is your charge. They both are. I am only allowed to step in if asked. Or given fucking permission to do what should have been done long ago. It is part of the Truce and I have been told…repeatedly..that the life of one person is NOT worth the destruction of the Truce.”  
Chris was silent. “Your solution?”  
“I would burn the world for them and dance in the flames.”   
Chris managed a short laugh. “Probably a good reason you are kept on a very short leash.”  
“Most likely.” 

“So I’ve fucked up on that. What should I do? Suggestions?”  
“The Dark Witch already sees. Stay out of her way and keep your jabs to yourself. He doesn’t need that right now. Winter is coming. He is Winterborne. You know that they both are. Winterborne.” 

“I was so grateful that Allison was a Summerchilde.”   
“I remember. You took a very stupid chance that day.”  
“It was worth it. It was worth any price I might have to pay later. You agree. You can’t say you are any different. You were as much a part of it as I was. It was YOUR blood willingly given.” 

Peter shrugged. “It seemed a good idea at the time. We were still young and stupid.”   
“Not that young and not that stupid. My Mother was so proud of both of us that day.”  
“Mine was ready to kill me when she found out.”  
“You never did tell me what happened when they drug you away.”   
“Grandfather.”  
“Oh fuck.”  
“We came to an agreement. He respected what I did. He offered the Leash. I considered it worth the price. I still do.” 

Chris slid so his head was flat in Peter’s lap. “You do realize that in this situation most males would be focused on getting mindless sex in large quantities.”   
It took a couple of seconds before Peter actually responded…with laughter. When he had himself under control he looked at Chris. “Where did you put the frosting?”  
“Well fuck.”  
“Chris. Really? You said you would get frosting as you felt me up in the hallway. What happened?”   
“I forgot. Shit. Shit. Shit. I fucking forgot all about it. It was crisis one, two and three and then it was time to close the store. Well crap.”  
“You have keys to the Café don’t you?”  
“Yeah… on my key ring.”   
“Well lets to do some very behavior much below our actual ages and go and raid Melissa’s refrigerator for some frosting. There has to be some left. Max made a ton of it.”  
“Wanna bet? It was going out the door with smiles of glee and expectation as fast as he could put it out.”   
“Get up. Get your shoes on. You whine when you step on things. Let’s go see. There has to be something left. If not frosting then something that we can scavenge.”   
Shoes on. They made their way through the dark building giggling like children.


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/updatedfirstfloorofbookstorechapter47.jpg>

The day started off with a bang. 

Chris looked around trying to locate the noise. It was a steady banging noise. It had been a quiet morning which was good because it seemed like nobody had a good night’s sleep. They were all slow and tired. 

“Uh. Excuse me? Someone is banging on the back door.” It was one of the Sewing Club. She scurried back into the room at the glare Chris sent her way. 

“Why the hell is someone banging on the back door?” Chris snarled at Stiles. He turned to deal with the irritation. And froze. “Would someone please tell me what today is?”

A quiet voice from a corner. “Windsday.” 

“Fuck. Me. Now.”  
“Oh shit.”  
“What? Why? Oh crap.” 

Chris pulled out his store keys. Unlocked the gate between the store and the back. And went to open the receiving area. That had a truck. A larger than anyone in their right mind would want pulling up to their business truck. With the “screw-up jars” and whatever else the company had decided to unload on them. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. 

He opened the doors to the back and looked at the driver. Who already had his clipboard in hand and the back of the truck open. It wasn’t that bad. It was worse.  
“Where do you want me to put this?”  
“Do you really want me to answer that question right now?”  
The delivery man’s eyes got big. “No Sir. I don’t think that I do. How about you just point to a clear area near a wall that is out of the way and I’ll start unloading.”  
Chris sighed. He and the delivery man walked over to the area behind the Sewing Club. “I guess here. It won’t be used any time soon.”  
“Uh. Like any time soon this year?”  
Chris looked at the poor human. “This. Year?”  
The man winced. “It’s one of the big trucks. I have delivered to you before but not your stuff. I mean not the stuff that you actually ordered. Just the deliveries for the other business that they were going to come and get.”  
“Your point.”  
“Those were small to medium trucks at best.”  
“And this one?”  
“Is nic-named the Leviathan.”  
Chris closed his eyes.  
“Sir. Are you alright?”  
“Yes. Thank you. The man on the phone was vague about everything but price toward the end of the conversation. He kept saying ‘somewhere around a truck load’. I foolishly thought that a small to medium trucks worth of supplies at that price as excellent. This certainly exceeds my expectations.”  
“That’s. A really good way to look at it. Yes Sir. A really good way. I’ll get the pallet jack and start unloading.”  
“Pallet jack? I don’t think that I have one of those. They usually use dollies.”  
The man just looked at Chris. “That was the last thing that was stuck in the truck. They stuck the last pallet they could get in the truck with the pallet jack, dropped it and just left the jack. I think they are fine if they get it back and fine if they don’t. You are going to have to have some way of moving this stuff around besides breaking it all down into the totes and moving those one by one.”

They heard choking noises. They turned around to see Stiles standing looking at the truck. The noises were coming from him. He turned around and nailed Chris with a look. “Go big or go home my ass!”  
He looked back at the truck and walked closer. “Oh holy shit. They have that plastic condom on the totes. I’ve never gotten those before! I heard about it when you get lots of stuff but… Okay. It’s only two of them. We can deal with that. How the fuck are we supposed to get them out of there with the condom on?”

It was the Delivery man’s turn to choke. “Uh, it’s called stretchwrap. I’ll take care of it. Let me get one out and you can learn how the pallet jack works. They are heavy and they are going to come down fast. Once they start coming out get out of the way. It’s not as bad on a level surface. It just takes some muscle to get them started but they don’t try to run you down.”

“I got this.” The sound of Dean’s voice behind him made the Delivery man jump.  
“Uh.”  
“I got this. I’ve unloaded trucks before. I know how to work a pallet jack.”  
“If you are sure.”

Dean looked at the young man and smiled. The kid was nervous but amazingly helpful. There were a good number of the drivers that pointed out that they drove the trucks. It was someone else’s responsibility to load and unload. That was why he was often talked into unloading trucks. The kid was sturdy looking but no where near as strong as a Wolfgard. 

“It’s good. I’m sure. Wolfgard muscle beats Human muscle.”  
“Yes Sir it does.” 

Dean worked the jack. Looked things over and came out with the first pallet. He had it under control but it was a struggle even for him. He got it by the sewing area, dropped the pallet and pulled the jack out. He backed up into Etienne.  
“Beargard trumps Wolfgard.”  
“No shit there big guy. All yours.”

Etienne had the mass and the strength to control the pallets easier. Dean watched him do the first one then went back to the Café. Etienne knew what he was doing.  
Chris had signed the paperwork and was now standing out of the way but in good light to read what was being delivered. “What the fuck is sundries?”  
“That’s what they call it when it isn’t just one thing. From the term various and sundry meaning a bit of this and a bit of that.”  
“Leftovers.”  
“Yes Sir. Pretty much.” 

Chris took the paperwork into his office.  
Stiles just stood there watching with a look of growing horror. They had wrapped the totes with the plastic so they could stack them higher. Like ‘this is as tall as we can go and still get this shit in the truck’ tall. He refused to count the pallets that Etienne had unloaded from the truck. If he didn’t count them then he didn’t know how much work he had to do to clear out that pile of totes. If he didn’t know then there would be no reason for him to melt into a hysterical puddle. 

Etienne finished and started to put the pallet jack back in the truck.  
“No. You keep it. You are going to need it to move those things around. I was told at pick up that ‘everything’ in the truck was to be delivered. If it was in the truck, deliver it. That means that they expected you to keep the jack. They cleaned out their warehouse on you. They are going to damage it out and write off the loss of that jack. It will be worth it to them to have all of the space back that those totes took up. Thank you for your help.” They guy laughed. “Seriously thank you for your help. Those things would have kicked my ass.” 

Chris came over. He handed the boy a small envelope. It contained a cash tip. “Thank you. You have been very helpful.”  
“Uh. Yes Sir. Thank you.” He looked over at the tower of totes. He shook his head and left. 

Chris and Stiles looked at each other. “We need a ladder. Start at the top and get the first layer down and see what we have. One tote of ‘screw up jars’ at a time because you will probably want to clean them.  
Stiles groaned. “Oh crap. Yeah. They have been sitting there for.. awhile. Wonderful.” 

“Etienne. Thank you very much.” 

Etienne just nodded and went back to the Café to inform Melissa of the hysterics about to be coming from next door if Dean hadn’t shared the news already. 

Chris grabbed the ladder and stuck it near the first pallet. Stiles climbed up. “Don’t cut the plastic all the way down. Just the level you are working on. I heard about that. The pallet got knocked into and the totes spilled. It wasn’t so bad for them. Their delivery wasn’t breakable. I do NOT want to pick up a pallet’s worth of shattered glass.”  
Stiles looked down at Chris as the instructions. Looked at the pallet again. “Oh hell no. That would be… I’ll make sure that they stay condomed together.” He cut the plastic and got hold of the first tote. It was as heavy as he thought it would be. He got it down to Chris who put it on one of the flat carts. It had the plastic things that kept the flaps closed but he didn’t want to bet on them not breaking. 

They got the first four down and Stiles climbed down. “Kitchen?”  
“Makes the most sense to me. That and start washing. Do one tote.” Chris shook his head. “We almost need one person just to wash. Just the first day. That should get enough jars clean to start filling the Seven Scents jars again.” Chris’ eyes widened slightly. “Brigid didn’t tell me about any of the larger orders on the Seven Scents being made?”  
Stiles shook his head. “I know she told the people on her list. They were going to get back to her with amounts. As far as I know, no one has yet.”  
Chris gave a sigh of relief. “That gives us a little time then. Those jars and lids are small and there are…a lot… of them.”  
Stiles glanced over and shuddered. “I guess I’ll wash till someone needs me.”  
“I’ll wash. You would just be washing a few then going to answer questions and wash a few and go back all day long. I am caught up for the moment. I can be back here where it is quiet for a few hours washing.”  
Stiles was more than happy to leave him to it. He trotted back up to the front. He could already hear his name being called. This must be what it was like to have small children that couldn’t do anything without your attention. He was certainly putting that off for as long as possible. Alex was more intelligent and independent than some of the customers. Better manners too. The really deranged thought crossed his mind to wonder if they could put Peter in time out washing the jars? He tried to envision it. Probably not.


	48. Chapter 48

Chris was startled when someone joined him at the kitchen sink. He had changed into a T-shirt. He got tired of pushing the sleeves of his sweatshirt up and having them work their way back down. The soggy cuffs were beyond irritating. 

“I’ve often found that some of the best conversations that I’ve had were washing dishes.” 

Chris looked at Lylith in surprise. “Okay.” 

She had taken off her outer clothes and was in a warm fleece shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He just bet they stayed where she put them too. 

“We never really did complete our discussion the other day.”  
“No. We didn’t.”  
“I wish to purchase the Herb Store.”  
“No.”  
“No?” Lylith looked at him with some irritation. “That is not the impression that you have given me. You have changed your mind? It would have been nice to be informed of such a thing before now.”  
“Not sell. Not immediately and not out-right. We were talking around to that. Maybe talking-around to was the problem. Hear me out.” He looked over at her.  
Lylith looked thoughtful. “Very well.” She turned her attention back to rinsing and placing the jars and lids on the towels spread across the counter.  
“I trusted Teyla.” Chris made extra sure the two jars he had left in the sink were clean. “I thought I knew her.”  
Lylith nodded. “I begin to understand. Let’s move these jars and begin on the next tote.” She slid the jar laden towels down and put out fresh.  
Chris put the empty tote away and put a new one on the chair he was using so the tote was at a comfortable level.  
“You and I have even less of a history than you and Teyla.”  
Chris nodded. Grateful to her getting to the point and getting the message.  
“You wish to ensure that you do not have another traitor in your midst.”  
Chris’ jaw dropped. “I wouldn’t… Traitor is a bit…”  
“She allowed the Coven in despite what I would imagine was a very clear message that you have no great love for them. True or false.”  
“Well.”  
“True or false.”  
“True.”  
Lylith nodded. “She did the best she could. I choose to believe that. I also believe that she was somewhat either prideful or uninformed.”  
“Wait. What? I get the prideful. Uninformed?”  
“There were others that she could have called on for help. The Coven was what she was most… I hesitate on choosing the word comfortable. She was most familiar with the Coven, its workings and expectations and procedures. She was not happy with the changes that had started taking place. We did speak of such things once when she was newly come here. I know she was approached by other entities that were willing to replace the Coven’s interest and provisions. I believe that her philosophy was somewhat “better the snake that you know than the one that you don’t”. She was displaced. I don’t know the details but she did not have a support system in place. That was the most stupid of all the decisions that sent her here. 

Chris nodded. “You know much more about this than I do.”  
“I was much more involved than you were.”

“So. You understand how I am somewhat wary now.”  
“I do. What did you have to offer if you are rescinding your decision to sell?”  
“I’m not taking it off the table. I am saying not till I know you and trust you. Until I believe that you will take care of my daughter the same as you would your own. And that I could say the same of my treatment of Morgana.”  
“I think I begin to see.”  
“Oh?”  
“Family of choice.”  
Chris was silent.  
“Your family of blood is gone. You understand Teyla because you find yourself in a similar position. You feel as if you are battling on several fronts and have few if anyone at your back. I have been in such a position more than once. I didn’t care for it then. I don’t care for it now.”  
Chris put several jars on her side. She rinsed and placed them on the towel. They worked their way down a row of jars in the tote. 

“My mother was the last of my family. I am just related to those other people.”  
Lylith snickered. “That was very well put. Especially for a Wolfgard.”  
Chris lip-lifted her.  
Lylith looked him in the eye. Her eyes were solid black. Her ‘fuck you fang’ display was impressive. She waited.  
Chris sighed. “Yes. Yes. I know. My studies are lacking. Blah, blah, blah. There is a reason that I turned to Peter for… a number of things. Information, despite the fact that we were both young and male, was one of the main reasons. There was still a limit to what I learned and what he was allowed to teach me. My mother was equally as handicapped. I am in a situation that I am woefully unprepared for. Fuck me, it that hasn’t been the story of my life since after puberty.” 

Lylith’s face morphed back to its more familiar form. “So you wish to bring Peter into this discussion?”  
Chris rubbed his forehead with the back of his wrist. “At some point, yes.”

Lylith moved her towel down and put out another. “We can move the first two towels of jars to the rolling shelves you brought for them to completely dry now.” She wheeled the cart over and she took one side and Chris took the other. They worked in thoughtful silence. 

“You know nothing.” Lylith looked at Chris.  
He looked insulted then the expression on his face changed. “As piss on me as that sounds, it would be the wisest attitude to take. I know bits and pieces. There are gaps. I have no idea that they are there till I fall through them.”  
“You are not alone. It happens even when someone spends decades learning. Life guarantees surprises. Usually as pleasant as stepping in something disgusting with your bare foot.”  
“Lovely.” He looked over at the counter. “We are making progress on something at least.”  
“We are making much progress in a number of areas.” 

“You are one of those morning people aren’t you?”  
Lylith just showed teeth. 

“How about I rent you the Herb Store. The name needs to be changed. Rent with the option to buy and a certain amount of the rent would go toward equity. We need to work something out about purifying it. You will need to call in some… reinforcements. It would work better if you did it and there will be less likelihood of them being noticed. I would prefer Stiles’ wards over all three buildings. If you want to layer your own for your quarters I find that very understandable and acceptable. As much as I understand them which I admit I don’t.”  
“Then do you find it wise to agree to them?”  
“I find the desire to protect your child any and all ways possible to be something that I CAN understand. I wouldn’t take something from you that I won’t allow to be taken from me.”  
“Very well. Stiles and I can work together on something.”  
“Thank you.” 

Lylith rinsed jars and placed them on the towel. “I will begin to contact interested parties.”  
Chris gave her side eye. “I’m not sure to be grateful or wary.”  
“Neither am I.”  
“That was reassuring.”  
“You’re welcome.”

They worked through another layer of jars.  
“Scott will turn 21 soon.”  
“Is this a hint for a birthday present?”  
She snorted. “He will be getting one in the form of his Inheritance.”  
“His what? Wouldn’t he have already gotten what he inherited from Jager?”  
“Not that kind of inheritance. From Jager’s bloodline.”  
“Well fuck. Peter mentioned…”  
“Peter mentioned?”  
“I’ll just let you and Peter have that conversational dance. I have two left feet.”  
“What do you know that you are willing to share?” 

Chris shivered and went over to get a sleeveless vest and put it over his T-shirt.  
“Cold, Wolfgard?” She smirked slightly.  
She reached for her vest when she heard his next words. It didn’t help what wasn’t a physical chill but something that touched the marrow.

“Winter is coming.”


	49. Chapter 49

“You have a thing for buff. You could always sniff the Beargard if you are too hesitant to put your body parts near Max or Dean.”  
“OW! Shit. Ow. That hurt. Ow.” The store looked at Brigid holding one foot and hopping, badly, on the other. She managed to hop into Peter.  
“New exercise program?” He snarked as he kept her from face-planting.  
“Yeah. Wanna take it up? I’d be happy to drop something on your foot for you.” Brigid smiled brightly with all the teeth she could show.  
Peter blinked. His lips twitched. “I’ll pass.”  
“I think I’m going to give it up myself.”  
“Chris?”  
“No. Brigid.”  
“Smartass.”  
“Now there are several of those to choose from. Your favorite one is in the kitchen. I’m sure he would love to see you.” She pointed to the wrought iron gate. 

Allison, Lydia and Morgana all looked at her in confusion.  
Stiles was snickering. 

Brigid sighed. Hobbled toward the Café to get some ice in a plastic bag and a towel. She didn’t think that she had broken her toe. But she had certainly managed to dent it. She made a really loud, embarrassing noise and did the ‘lost the floor’ flail. That only led to the ‘gasping for breath’ wheeze as Stiles had to tighten his grip to keep from dropping her. He put her in a chair in Alex’s room and sent Alex to tell Melissa that Brigid had dropped something on her foot. 

He eased her shoe and sock off and examined her foot. He shook his head and went to get something to smear over it. Alex came back with ice in a bag wrapped in a towel. 

Stiles put her foot on a stool, put ice on it and put a lap desk across the chair arms. And stacked paperwork on a small table beside her. “Stay off the foot for the rest of the day. This will give you something to do.”  
“I’d rather just keep my weight off of it by sitting on a stool and checking out.”  
“Not elevated enough. Too bad, so sad, paperwork is yours.”

It certainly didn’t pay to ease-drop around here. 

The paperwork was semi-mindless. She was sorting requests. Which section and filled or un-filled. Things got misplaced. Wolfgard weren’t big on filing much of anything but their claws. 

Stiles didn’t have anyone of his own. She could see where he would be interested in both Max and Dean. She could even see wanting both of them. It was a pretty, pretty picture. 

She doubted that Stiles had anyone that put and kept him first since his mother died. If she would to put him with someone, she would want someone that didn’t have many to any other loyalties but to Stiles.

She had the feeling that Etienne would be both loyal and protective. He didn’t seem to have that many ties or bonds. He would cherish the ones he did have. She could see it in the few interactions she had seen between him and Chris. They could both be solitary and private people. Tending to retreat after dealing with people for any length of time. Even the people they obviously loved. The bear in Etienne and the lone wolf aspect of Chris. 

They could work, live and thrive in a pack environment. As long as they had a place to retreat that was sacrosanct. Etienne was tactile. She only saw it with Chris because Chris was the only one he was truly comfortable with. It was kind of odd the first times she watched it occur. Chris was telling him about something. She couldn’t understand the language. Etienne was listening gravely. And quietly stroking Chris’ back. Long, slow strokes. It was soothing to both of them evidently. 

Etienne was connected to Chris somehow. It was an… odd…interesting…strange connection. Wolf and Bear. They usually didn’t get along that well. Mutual tolerance at best. That wasn’t what she saw. Neither of them showed any inclination to speak of it. The bond that pulled them together. Family? Blood somehow? 

Etienne looked nothing like blond-haired, blue-eyed Chris. He was golden in coloration. Long, dark brown hair. Surprisingly long. It was down to his waist in thick waves. His eyes were a greenish-blueish mixture. And come to think of it, Allison’s hair looked almost black is was so dark a brown. Maybe they were related. 

She was fairly sure that Lydia and Allison had been yanking Stiles’ tail with the comment. Him start sniffing around Etienne. 

Morgana had ‘accidently’ spilled her water on them not long after the comment. She was very protective of Stiles. There was a loyalty toward him as well. Even though she spent a good deal of time with the other two girls, there was a sense of separateness. She wasn’t like them. Brigid had the feeling that Morgana had no desire to be, either. She was connected to them through Stiles. Without him…. That was an interesting mental exercise. Contemplating Stiles as a buffer. 

And it suddenly made a good deal of sense. There was a similarity in Morgana and Etienne. They were solitary even when they were in a group. Private. Powerful if in different ways. Connected to healing. She had known many healers that used the Bear as a healing totem. Neither of them tended to be talkative. At least she hadn’t seen it in a group setting. 

It might just be time for her to get to know Etienne.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnwJ5KIcKX4 The song Peter hums.

“You two look like you are having fun. Makes me wish I could join in.”

Lylith turned and smiled at Peter. “Then you are in luck. You may take my place. I have things that require my attention. This will be an excellent opportunity for you and Chris to discuss renting the building next door to me. Rent with the option to buy. While the two of you are coming to agreeable terms, I will be consulting some resources that I maintain. The building will need to be renovated. Chris is very correct about that. I believe I have something in mind that might suit us all. By all means, Peter, have fun with Chris.” Lylith finished drying her hands and putting on her jacket. With those words, she strolled out of the area. 

Peter’s face was less than thrilled. 

“You know better than poking at her.”  
“It’s part of the fun.”  
“Well get over here and you can partake of the enjoyment of washing jars with me.”  
Peter sighed. Deeply. “Fine. There aren’t that many. You just have that one tote.”  
“There are a few more after this one.”  
“I have some time. We do need to talk some things over. Might as well. I’ll help.”

Peter had spent enough time in Chris’ home with Chantal that he was actually familiar with washing dishes by hand. He knew that a number of important conversations for Chris had taken place either at the kitchen sink or in the garden. Patience was the key. 

“When you get the towel full, just slide it down and start another one.”  
“It seems that the two of you managed to form a system. Must have been back here for awhile. Good conversation?”  
“Something like that.” Chris seemed focused on the jars. 

Peter rinsed and waited.  
“I need you to do a similar contract like the one you wrote for Teyla but rent with the option to buy. Be fair but don’t give it away. Nevermind, you are better than I am at that.”

“Fine. I can do that.” Peter dried his hands and moved to behind Chris. Slid his hands around Chris and moved in close. He didn’t say anything. Just held him. He could feel the sigh in Chris’ body. He began to hum softly their bodies starting to sway slightly with the melody. It was from a movie they had watched when they were both young. It spoke of contradiction and connection. “One who keeps tearing around and one who can’t move.” Chris liked it for some reason. Peter had learned to sing it for him. At least it wasn’t one of those songs where the words were in another language. He didn’t have to be a good singer with a great range. It was the emotion more than anything. The point was sometimes you had to laugh. It hurt too much to cry. 

“Scott’s birthday is coming soon.”  
Peter kept swaying gently but stopped humming. “Are we getting him a present?”  
Chris’ laugh expressed everything but humor. “He’s getting his Inheritance. We might get him something but I doubt we can top that.” 

Peter stilled. 

“You said it last night.”  
 **“The Dark Witch already sees. Stay out of her way and keep your jabs to yourself. He doesn’t need that right now. Winter is coming. He is Winterborne. You know that they both are. Winterborne.”**  
“You were right. She does see.” Chris went back to washing. “Max made a comment at our planning meeting. Not something that I would have expected to have come from him. Mouse was beside him. I thought it would have come from her. ‘Lose the Dogs of War. Release the Hounds of Hell’. Something is coming and I don’t know what. What frightens me most is that means I have no idea how to prepare.”

Peter kissed Chris’ neck gently and released him. “I’ll talk to Grandfather and ask him to get out some of the old journals.”  
Chris nodded. He looked at Peter out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe find the one that he kept threatening us with when we were young. Sex Ed 101? We could always use some bedtime reading material.”  
Peter looked at him in shock. Then started laughing. "I don’t know which one of us would find that conversation more painful. Probably me.”  
Chris gave him a grin. “You are falling behind. Get busy rinsing.”  
Peter glanced in the tote. “You are almost to the bottom of this one. Are there any more?”  
“Around the corner behind the Sewing Club’s spot.”  
“I’ll go and get it.” Peter walked out of the room. Chris didn’t walk behind him. That would give the surprise away. He did move closer to the door where he could hear Peter’s reaction. The man had a way with words when he was truly startled. Yep. Peter had spotted Tote Hell. Ohhhhhh…. That sounding interesting and promising. Possibly too athletic but worth some thought as to a variation. Peter was certainly inspired. Hopefully he would remember to actually pick up one of the totes and bring it back. If not, he could just work on the three totes that were stuck over out of the way under the table. Easy to miss since Melissa had decided that their table required a tablecloth for some reason. She could be strange about some things. 

Chris listened to the rising pitch of the invective. Might as well just get a tote out. Peter was evidently going to be out there for some time before the shock wore off and he ran out of creativity.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Brigid came hobbling into the room carrying a stool. She put it by the sink and sat. “Sounds like you might have lost your helper for a bit.”  
Chris just shrugged. “He will get over the shock. Eventually.” He looked at her foot she had propped on a drawer she had slightly opened. “What happened to your foot?”  
“I was startled and dropped something on it.”  
“Startled by?”  
Brigid shook her head. “No. Just a comment. It was kind of crude and not directed to me. Partially my fault for listening to a private conversation.”  
“Between?”  
“Stiles, Lydia and Allison.”  
Chris shuddered.  
“No. It might not be a bad idea. For some reason that didn’t involve nearly enough alcohol on my part, Melissa decided to explain some of the facts of life to me one night on ‘girl night’. The only good thing about the experience was the fact that we were the only girls present. Alex was having a sleepover at Stiles’.”  
“Should I go ahead and go and get some chocolate now for our damaged sensibilities or wait till later. I’ll go get it now. I may be too traumatized to move later.” He left.  
Brigid shifted over to washing and shifted her foot to another drawer. She didn’t want to tell Stiles but she had the feeling that she might have broken one of the small bones. She had done it once before. It was feeling very similar. In the meantime, she was impressed with Peter’s vocabulary and creativity. He hadn’t repeated himself once.  
Chris came back and put two containers on the shelf above the sink. He took over rinsing. “We are now prepared as much as possible. What was the Melissa conversation?”  
“Just like human law doesn’t apply; neither does human convention.”  
“Which tells me…not much.”  
“There have always been groups that want power and control. They find ways of preying on fears to get that power and control. Humans have been indoctrinated on a number of things. One of the primary drives…for most anyone or anything is… sexual.”  
Chris looked at the jar in his hand. With great attention. His shoulders started shaking. He managed to contain his amusement to snickers.  
“Yes. Well. They didn’t fare too well over here. You tended to eat their advocates.”  
Chris was still paying attention to making sure the jars were rinsed. Very well. Thoroughly even.  
“Humans are supposedly big on monogamy. Do notice the word ‘supposedly’. My husband has a mistress. Forgive me if I find that the theory of the practice and the reality don’t completely mesh.”  
“Forgiven.”  
“Now that I have pretty well forgotten why we even started this conversation… Stiles. They commented that rather than display interest in joining Dean and Max that he might do better to set his sights on Etienne.”  
Chris looked at her. “Oh?” The tone wasn’t his happy tone.  
“Which one are you pissed at and about?”  
“Allison.”  
Brigid frowned.  
“She and I are going to have a talk that is going to mortify her. And if that doesn’t sink in then we will have a conversation that has a more physical component to her behavior modification.”  
Brigid blinked at him. “Damn. Professor mode is kind of sexy on you.”  
Chris’ jaw dropped slightly. He blinked back at her.  
“Okay. Why are you pissed at Allison. For Etienne?”  
“Stiles has feelings. Deep and intense. Not something that should be used as humor and certainly not against him.”  
“O-kay.”  
“I’m not a total asshole.”  
“Never said you were.”

Chris rinsed a few more jars. “What part of it struck you as a possible idea?”  
Brigid stuck about a dozen jars on his side. “Etienne is alone. Stiles is alone. Maybe if they.. were not exactly alone together?”  
“Sad to say I understood that.” Chris rinsed the jars she put in his sink and stacked them. He arranged the tote so she could access it easier. He noticed her foot. He moved the tote out of the way and squatted to examine it. His touch was gentle as he removed the ice bag. “I am sure that Stiles has looked at this. Did he get the chance to really examine it?”  
“I.” She frowned thoughtfully. “He said he wanted to look at it again later. That was before he got sucked into a number of things.”  
“Thought so.” Chris went to the door. “Enough. Come here and look at Brigid’s foot.”  
“And am I supposed to be impressed with it or something?”  
“Or something. Get your ass in here.”  
Peter walked in and hesitated at the sight of Brigid on the stool with her foot propped on the drawer and the ice bag on the floor. He moved over and knelt. He cupped her foot in his hands. He stroked his thumbs over the area where the book had landed. “Crap.” His hands glowed briefly and the pain faded to a dull throb. “That’s about all I can do. Healing isn’t my specialty. I’ll be back in a minute.”  
“She broke it?”  
“She damaged something. Get her foot back up higher.”  
Brigid sighed and held out her hands for him to help her off the stool. 

He opened the door to his office and retrieved The Chair and footstool. Once he had those placed to his satisfaction he simply picked her up and placed her in the chair. Tucked the footstool in the most comfortable position and then came up with a throw to cover her with. 

“If this chair whammys me again I can’t say I would really mind this time.” 

Peter came back with Stiles and Lylith who happened to be in the store.  
They examined her foot and agreed. “It’s broken.” They then went off to get what they needed to treat the break.  
Brigid put her face in her hand and tried not to cry. 

Chris scooped her up and sat with her in his lap. “What? It hurting again? Peter isn’t very experienced with humans. He will be back in a minute. He went to get you some soup. You will need to eat something before Stiles gives you anything. Otherwise it will make you sick. And very miserable.”

“I’m sorry. I so sorry.”  
“What for?”  
“It was stupid on my part to drop the stupid book on my stupid foot and break it.”  
“Did you do it on purpose?”  
“No!”  
“Then I don’t see how it’s your fault.”  
“This will leave you short-handed.”  
“It will be fine. We will manage. Allison has been getting you to do the register too often. She was supposed to learn. She hasn’t been. It will be an excellent thing for her to be on the register all this week.”  
“You are kind of pissed at her, aren’t you?”  
“Yep.”  
Brigid tucked her face into his neck. “Am I going to be out of work all this week?”  
“I’m not certain. Stiles and Lylith are the experts but I would imagine that they are going to want you to stay off of that foot as much as possible this week.”  
“Damn. And things were going so well.”  
Chris started stroking her back. “Why are you afraid and anxious and what about?”  
Brigid hesitated. “I don’t remember this moment how much money I have saved up.”  
“And that’s important why?”  
“If I can’t work then I need to pay rent.”  
“Brigid?”  
“Yes Sir?”  
“Don’t be a fucking idiot. I am not charging you rent. If you end up sitting in The Chair sleeping in between doing all of the paperwork that has been breeding then that’s what you will do. I don’t want you upstairs all by yourself and no Alex being up there with you will not suffice. You are staying down here where we can keep an eye on you. Now stop being such an idiot and go to sleep.” 

Brigid slowly relaxed. 

Stiles and Lylith came back in and treated and wrapped her foot. They stuck a couch that had found its way into the back area in the kitchen. That would work better for her to sleep on. Peter did something to the couch after they left. 

Chris transferred her to the couch and covered her up. Pillow, blankie, water and a trash can just in case the PainEase tea didn’t agree with her. Sometimes it didn’t. 

Chris left Peter washing the jars and keeping an eye on Brigid. Amazingly without complaint about either task. He was up to something. Or planning. They would find out soon enough. In the meantime, he had a daughter to reacquaint with a register and a few basic concepts of Wolfgard manners. Neither one was going to be a happy time and she wasn’t allowed to share.


	50. Chapter 50

Chris had the beginnings of a plan. Tell Allison that she would be at the main register all week so Brigid’s foot would have time to heal. She was human. It was going to take longer. He was going to discuss it with her and give her some input and options. The manners discussion would take place in private.  
That was his plan. 

Lylith and Morgana were on one side of the store and Stiles, Lydia and Allison were on the other. From the tension in Stiles’ body he wasn’t happy with the subject matter. 

“It’s not like you have people beating down your door. I don’t even think you have ever gone on a date. Not of your own. You tag along with Scott and I. And really Stiles? The way you invite yourself?”  
“It’s generally Scott doing the inviting.” It was a low mutter. “He doesn’t always want to deal with you by himself.”  
“What exactly do you mean by that?” Lydia was now moving in on Stiles’ other side. 

“It means that my daughter is on her way to becoming a Class A Bitch like her mother and aunt. Which we are going to discuss now.” Chris announced from behind Allison. 

“Morgana, I know that you are busy but I really need you to take over the register.” He noticed that Morgana and her mother had started moving that way when he walked over to Allison. They must have read the irritation in his stride. 

“She doesn’t know how to do things. We can talk later.” Allison informed her father. 

The store froze. 

Chris bent and slung his child over his shoulder. She struggled till he popped her on the ass. He wasn’t pulling his swing either. She was just lucky on the angle. 

Lydia spoke up. “Wait. Why is she in trouble? She was just talking to Stiles.”  
Lylith moved in on Lydia. “So you found the conversation acceptable?”  
“Well. Yes.”  
Lylith was sometimes very direct. Lydia found herself in a very uncomfortable position. Bent backwards across the counter with Lylith’s hand around her throat. The deadly nails had come out but they weren’t digging in…yet. Lylith’s eyes were now solid black. “Try. That. Response. Again.”  
“No Mistress my behavior was not acceptable.” 

Morgana strolled toward the main register humming to herself. 

Stiles looked torn between going after Chris and trying to put himself between Lylith and Lydia. 

Lylith looked at Stiles. She pointed to a tall stool with a commanding gesture. “Sit. Attend my words.”  
“Yes Ma’am.” 

He wasn’t the only one that found a place to sit quietly. 

“Did Stiles request your assistance in his private life today?”  
“No Mistress.”  
“Has Stiles ever requested your assistance in his private life?”  
“No Mistress.”  
“You have no lover of either sex currently. You have not had a lover that lasted for longer than a week at a time. Yet you feel qualified to both discuss Stiles’ lack of a current lover in public and advise him on how he should conduct his sexual/romantic encounters. Is that correct?”  
“Yes Mistress.”  
“You are Wolfgard. You heal quickly. I could take the skin off your back in places and you would still be healed enough to work tomorrow. You are aware of this?”  
“Yes Mistress.”  
“Then consider this your only warning of the consequences of disrespecting Stiles in public.”  
“Yes Mistress.”  
“What do you need to do now?” She released Lydia who was pale and shaking.  
Lydia used the counter for balance as she moved toward Stiles. “I ask your forgiveness for my transgressions in behavior toward you.”  
Stiles looked torn for a moment. “It’s fine.”  
“Stiles.” The tone was oh so very gentle from Lylith.  
Stiles sighed. “You were an asshole but that’s pretty typical of you. I would greatly appreciate it if you could mind your own fucking business and keep your nose out of my life and stop taking the fact that you can’t get any guy to stay with you that doesn’t have strong masochistic tendencies out on me. Thankyouverymuch.” His voice had gotten softer with each sentence. He took a deep breath. “Go and find something constructive to do. Unless you have something that is both kind and helpful…keep your mouth shut. Bye.” 

Lydia went over to the stock that had been put on a cart for restocking. She began to put the products out. There were tears running down her face. One customer handed her a box of tissues but walked off when Lydia started to speak to her. 

Lylith looked around the store. “Anyone have any complaints or comments to make to my face?”  
She got a wild eyed look back and vehement head shakes.  
“Very well. There are things that all of you need to attend to.”  
People found something to do and buy. On the other side of the store.

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Chris opened the door to his lair and dumped Allison on the daybed. She started to bounce back up but he flat-handed her in the center of the chest and sent her tumbling back down. She stayed down.  
“You seem to be of the opinion that you can dominate and piss on the individuals around you without consideration of reprisal.” He looked at her. Calmly. “It is partially my fault. I have allowed it.”

He moved to lean against the end of the bed. “I dismissed it as stress. I overlooked it due to the fact that you were becoming a young female and hormones have tended to kick the women of the family in the teeth on a regular basis. I was tolerant, much to my disgust and shame, because it was Scott and Stiles. I thought that they should be able to take up for themselves against you. I didn’t consider that both of them have been taught to be much more considerate and respectful than I have evidently imparted to you.” 

“You are my daughter. My beloved child. I love you dearly. I love you enough to let you know that you are exhibiting behaviors of cruelty and abuse. I care for you enough to call you on it each and every time to ensure that you are aware of your transgressions. Victoria and Kate were your models for years. I will kill Victoria if Peter doesn’t see her first the next time our paths cross. She wanted to control you. She was willing to consider your possible death as an acceptable consequence. Kate was complicit. She used the same techniques on Derek. Her time on this plane is limited by how long and well she can hide.” 

Chris moved and leaned over Allison. “I have hopes for you. I believe in you. You were a kind, sweet and loving girl when you were young. I took steps to protect you. I have and always will risk much for you, my daughter. I chose to think that you have lost your path and need only a little guidance to find it again. That you will be someone that I can respect and admire as well as love. I expect you, from this very moment forward, to work long and hard for the rest of your existence to make those attributes your strongest. Because Allison. If you don’t? Do you know what will happen if you follow in Kate’s footsteps? In Victoria’s path?”

Allison shook her head. Her eyes were wide and she was quietly crying. 

“Then you will die. Because if you become as they are…my daughter is already dead to me and only a tainted shell remains that needs to be sent to its peace.” He reached out and put an gentle finger under her chin. “Do you doubt my promise…childe of mine?”  
She shook her head.  
“Verbal answer. . . s'il vous plait”  
“No Sire.”  
“Très bien. Compose your apologies to Stiles. You will be allowed to deliver them later. You may stay here until the store closes. Clean your face and tidy yourself.” Chris walked out of the room. 

Peter pulled Chris into his arms as Chris passed the kitchen. Brigid slept through it all. That was very fortunate. She would have tried to protect and/or had heart failure. She has still only seen their public faces. There was a side that was private.

They just held each other for a moment till Chris calmed from his chilling rage. He took a deep breath and gave Peter a tender, thankful kiss and went back to the front to help. It should be quiet. He doubted that anyone else would choose to misbehave today. Good manners would be the rule rather than the exception.  
It was going to be a really good day. Because, hopefully, they were past the shittiest part.


	51. Chapter 51

“He adores her. You both do.”  
Peter whirled. Startled to see Brigid curled up. Her eyes were open and she was looking at him steadily.  
“You didn’t panic.”  
She gave him a look. It wasn’t admiring. “Over what?” She sat up slightly. “I’m not stupid. I do observe things. You may look like the people that I grew up with. But you aren’t. You aren’t human. There are sides to you that I will never understand.” She straightened a bit more and cuddled her pillow. She had a deep frown on her face.  
Peter sat beside her.  
“You don’t have to understand someone. Take them apart and see how everything fits together just so you can satisfy your curiosity. Sometimes. Sometimes, you either accept them. Just like they are. Give up the thought that you have the right, ability or even wisdom to try to change them. Or you walk away and never look back.”  
Peter looked at her in surprise. “That was surprisingly insightful.”  
“It would serve you right if I puke all over you for that comment.”  
He shifted so he could reach the trashcan.  
She shook her head. “Crackers would be nice. My foot feels so much better. My stomach on the other hand is about to go into revolt.”  
Peter got up and picked up the crackers Melissa had brought over earlier. He handed them to Brigid and sat behind her. He carefully, he did not want to get puked on or witness said puking, shifted her so she could lean against him. “You are young.”  
Brigid just nibbled a cracker. And groaned. “I don’t even try that shit on Alex. Please do me the courtesy of not giving me crappy platitudes.”  
“The PainEase does nothing for your temperament.”  
“Rolling nausea and vague males do nothing for my temperament.”  
“The Others tend to be long-lived.”  
“Knew that.” She choked down another cracker.  
“Do you know by how much longer lived they are than humans by race?”  
She looked thoughtful. “I don’t think that I do.” She nibbled. “Nope. Just vague generalities and theories touted as fact. So. This is where I get the ‘I’ll tell you when you are older’ speech or the ‘when you grow up you will understand’. That last one always irritated me. Like there was some magical age when the world all of the sudden started making sense. You got your shit together finally and were able to keep it together.” She snorted.  
Peter shifted her again. It seemed that he finally had her body in a position her stomach approved of. “You think. Well for such a young person. People seem to avoid the process as much as possible. They prefer to have someone else do it for them and then present them with the conclusions that would be ‘best’. You think for yourself. Make up your own mind. Encourage your son to do the same. I am very impressed.”  
“I’m sure that on a normal day the fact that you are interested in what I think and believe and are impressed by me would absolutely make my panties wet. Today is not a normal day. So you will just have to settle for ‘thank you’. If you don’t mind, I need another pillow. Being flat makes it worse and I want to go back to sleep. When I wake up…”  
“When you wake up everything will be different if not better?”  
“Something like.”  
“I’ve done all of those damn jars that I plan on washing for some time. My fingers are wrinkled. Not at all becoming. Just stay where you are and sleep.”  
Brigid sighed and did just that.  
Peter sat there stroking her hair. Thinking. There were so many things to think about. So many threads that were being woven together that he knew about. There were even more that were beyond his sight for now.  
Brigid’s hair reminded him of fire. It was incandescent in the sunlight. Flame. Such a wonderful sight. In Winter. He ran his fingers through it enjoying the weight and feel. She curled close. She evidently found it soothing as well. He was more than willing to sit for a short time till she woke. It wasn’t like it was an unfamiliar duty. This time he was rather enjoying it.

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He was sitting there when Allison passed by to the private bathroom. He watched her move. She was shaken. He had stood where he could clearly see and hear the interaction between father and daughter. It was a Chris neither of them had seen in a very long time. The man he had been before things had started changing. The man his mother had brought up and trained. The man that had used the same techniques on his daughter his mother had used on him before his family had managed to come between them.

It had been a dangerous move. The path that the family had taken. Chris could have taken Allison and left. He could have expressed his displeasure in a manner that left a trail of blood, pain and damage that couldn’t be healed. Chantal had been away. Peter had always wondered if her safety was the reason that Chris had submitted. Gerard’s family had been holding her hostage, threatening her? She had gone to visit alone that time. Something that she rarely did. So many things had changed after she had returned from that visit. Allison had been twelve.

He thought about it. Allison had been twelve. So that made Stiles thirteen and coming into his first inheritance. Scott had been fourteen. Catherine had started to weaken after her son’s unexpected Black Widow status was revealed. 

Jager had been killed protecting Scott when Scott was fifteen and Stiles fourteen. Allison had been thirteen and had needed a woman’s influence more as her body started to mature according to Victoria and Kate. Any man faced with a young girl cramping, crying and voiding fluids at both ends would be hard pressed to convincingly say he was capable and willing to deal with the situation. Chris had been no exception. 

Fuck! He had never really stopped and worked out the timeline before. It had just been one hit after another for different people. Until now he hadn’t started to think about the possible connections. 

Chantal had died when Stiles turned fifteen, Scott sixteen and Allison fourteen. She had started to have health problems as Victoria and Kate’s influence of the womanly kind increased in Allison’s life. She had started having health problems….making it reasonable that Victoria and Kate would have more of an influence. She had less influence in a number of matters as her health declined. She had been the last to die. Catherine first. Then Jager had been killed by some unknown incident. Chantal had been the last to die. That had finished taking the heart right out of Chris. And most of the fight for anything but Allison. 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Allison had needed her father more than he had needed Chris. Chris hadn’t been Peter’s sole lover but he had been Chris’. They were not counting Victoria at this point as anything more than an intermittent sex partner. That would have nicely isolated Chris from any support system. How could he have been so blind, gullible and fucking stupid? WHY hadn’t he taken Chris and Allison and left after Chantal died? 

Some crap about not having any more disruptions to her life? Allison’s life? Now he was wondering if that had actually come from Chris or it had been poison dripped down the spider web to Chris’ lips as he slept. Stiles was the only Black Widow Peter actually trusted at this point. 

Allison had started changing after that. She had grown more and more distant and suspicious of him.

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“I can remember someone playing with my hair when I was younger. I don’t remember who it was. I can’t remember much of anything but a feeling of love and safety. I wondered about it sometimes. Till I gave up wondering about much of anything.” Allison was standing in the doorway watching them.

“I know it wasn’t Daddy. He will pet my hair but he doesn’t do it the same way. He strokes. This person threaded their fingers through my hair at the scalp. There was the scratch of nails lightly and then the long, slow pull that almost always put me to sleep. I never had anyone else play with my hair like that. It wasn’t Kate even though she has long hair too. Victoria despises long hair. I am wondering even more if she despises being a female? It wouldn’t surprise me.”

“I’ve never seen anyone touch someone the way I described. The way that you are sitting there running your fingers through Brigid’s hair. Till now.” 

Peter froze.

“What do you remember of the person? You said love and safety. Touch? Scent? Warmth? I would have thought he would be cold like the creepy vampire stories that I saw and read. I give him that he can certainly pull off creepy when he wants to…but he is quite warm. You look chilled. Come here. I’ll share Peter and part of my blanket.” Brigid sat up. 

Peter was really going to turn in his super-senses patch if he didn’t start doing better at telling if she was asleep or awake. Her breathing, heart rate and the relaxation of her body stayed the same. Damnit. 

“I feel like crap still. Better crap but still rather shitty. I broke my toe and may have done some damage to the top of my foot. I can sit up and not projectile vomit… do you REALLY want to make me get up and come over there and get you?” Brigid nailed Allison with a look that got the girl moving. 

She was tucked in between the two of them. She sat quietly, hesitantly for a number of seconds. Then she just kind of collapsed in on herself. The sobs were almost soundless like she had developed the talent for crying where no one could hear. It was a well honed talent. Which spoke of time and practice. 

Brigid just got her foot out of the way and let Peter handle the crying child. He had his face pressed against the top of her head. His hair was long and curling and there were some locks of it that fell against Allison’s hair. And mingled to the point that a person couldn’t tell where one started and the other began. Interesting. Chris' hair was dirty blond. Victoria was a redhead. Allison's hair was dark brown almost black. The same shade as Peter's. 

Brigid was considering talking to Stiles about a group rate for everyone in the store…both stores probably... to be slathered with PainEase on a daily basis. All sorts of things had been bubbling to the surface. Very few of them had been physical. 

The smell she loved so seemed to also be more than a nice thing to have at work. More than just a token gesture for a pleasant atmosphere. She was wondering if the aromatherapy crap was a bit more than wishful thinking on the part of a few deluded souls. Until she had started working for Chris or actually until Stiles had come into the picture. She had never had any experience with herbals. 

There were some small shifts going on. Cracks that were allowing things to bubble up to the surface where they could be seen, acknowledged and dealt with. Some of the other shifts…weren’t small at all.

A Leviathan rising from the depths changing everything in its path was more like it. A paradigm shift. When you find yourself looking at the world you thought you knew and discovering…you didn’t know much at all. 

She leaned back and watched Peter deal with Allison. His not so small anymore, beloved child that seemed to have found her way back into his arms. She would just bet on it and she tended to be cheap with her money. She only did pretty sure bets. She considered this…as much of a sure thing as you got in life. 

It was turning out to be a pretty good day after all. Well worth a broken toe and foot. Well worth the price paid for this to have been the result. She would gladly pay it again and more. Everything has a price. She had heard that somewhere she couldn’t remember. Not at the moment anyway. It would come to her. Probably at the ass-crack of dawn. Things like that usually did when you were trying to remember something. Important somethings.


	52. Picture Links For The Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A picture is worth a thousand words. If that's so then this is one of the longer chapters.

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Alexander_bio.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Allison_Argent_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Aunt_Tory_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Brigid_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Catherine_Argent_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Chris_Argent_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Dean_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Etienne_Beargard.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/living_quarters_general_look_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Lylith_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Max_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Melissa_McCall_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Morgana_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Mouse_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Peter_bio_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Scott_mccall_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/stiles_stilinski_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/three_buildings_general_look_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/traveler_wagon_small.jpg>

<http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/wrought_ironwork_small.jpg>


	53. Chapter 53

Chris looked around. Something was missing or out of place. He knew where Allison and Brigid were. Peter would keep an eye on them. They were accounted for and fine. Scott and Dean were at the Café for the day if not longer. Sam was on his spot. 

He took a survey of the room. Morgana at the main register. She was fine. Seemed to be in a very good mood. Lylith was drifting around the store engaging customers. Making herself useful. Which he greatly appreciated. It might work better than he had even thought to have her next door. Melissa tended to be Maternal. Lylith had a Martial feminine aspect. 

Stiles was in the Herbal section. Dealing with customers. The store was quieter than usual after Lylith’s display but they were still here and still spending money. Business would probably be even better tomorrow for the drama. Nothing like the threat of bloodshed to garner customer interest. 

Lydia was diligently restocking the Herbal section from the totes. He had never seen her be that physical. She was moving quickly and efficiently. She didn’t have Scott’s height and mass but she was making good progress about clearing out the totes that Scott had brought up. Her only problem was that he had stacked them higher than she could easily get the top totes down. Just as he noticed that, an older Wolfgard went over and moved the top row to a stack of its own so it would be easier for Lydia to deal with for her height. She was checking on the bags in the Sewing Club section and refilling that. Working on the Seven Scents jars. Making sure that those were filled and available to be put in the bags.

Whoa. There. That was usually Alex’s job. Alex who…was where? Chris scanned the store. He didn’t see the child. He felt a moment of panic. Had Alex been taken when they were occupied with Allison’s drama? He moved over to Sam. “Where is Alex?”

{Under your desk}  
Chris looked at Sam slightly confused.  
{You didn’t lock your office door. He went in there when it all blew up. He hasn’t come out yet. It’s a safe place for him so I’ve just left him.}  
Chris nodded and headed to his office. That mode of communication made his brain itch. He didn’t like people in his head even if it was a damn convenient way to communicate with a Wolfgard in fur. He thought of it as rather a last resort. He had learned to shield himself at an early age. It made it difficult for him to be able to reach out to mind-speak. Or to be spoken to that way unless he willed the contact. There were very few people he was willing to open himself to as a young boy and that hadn’t changed as he had gotten older. 

There was only the low lighting in his office. He made noise so Alex would know that he was in the room. The chair at the desk wasn’t pulled in all the way but it did give the impression that it had just been shoved toward the desk as he had left. 

Chris moved the chair back and squatted to look under the massive wooden desk. 

Alex was curled tightly in a corner.  
Well crap. He hadn’t even thought how it would affect a young boy that had seen his share and more of fighting and arguing. 

Chris sat on the floor and tried to come up with something to say. He was surprised when Alex slowly crawled out and into his lap. 

“Bradley never held Momma when she didn’t feel good. He never touched me if he didn’t have to. Angelique… didn’t like me at all.”  
Chris just cuddled the boy close. There wasn’t much that could be said. Nothing that didn’t involve a good deal of swearing and maybe some blood drawn to make a point.  
“Peter is playing with her hair.”  
“Yes. He tends to do that. He likes long hair.”  
Alex nodded. He rested his face against Chris’ chest and gripped the front of Chris’ shirt. “I didn’t like it there. Staying in the car at night was better.”  
Chris just rubbed his back.  
“I don’t want to ever go back there. Not even when I’m big.”  
Chris nodded. “I don’t want you to go back there either. I think you need to stay here with us. Even when you get big.”  
Alex cried. Quietly.  
Chris rocked him. He needed to find out what Stiles had on Bradley and Angelique. He had names now. Peter would want in on the fun. There had to be some reason that the two…people…. would be interested enough to visit the Courtyard. Where Human Law Does Not Apply. They would visit. The leaving part..that might be a little different.

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The store was closed. The customers had been very good today to move quickly to complete their business and out the door when Sam howled the 15 minute warning. The registers were counted down and the money was put in the bags for each register.

It had been decided to just leave the drawer in the registers so they would be ready in the morning. Anyone that broke in for $200.00 was desperate enough that Chris was willing to let them have the money and give them a good meal as well. 

Lylith had collected the bags to bring to Chris as the others tidied up the store. She walked in and put them on his desk. “Melissa is making some tea. It was something that Stiles handed her to make. It would be nice to sit and drink our tea together and have something to eat. Not much but it would help settle our tummies.” She walked out. 

‘Settle our tummies?’ Chris couldn’t believe that those words had come out of her mouth. That had Alex getting up out of his lap even if he still had hold of Chris’ shirt. Chris took his hand and gently removed it. He got to his feet and then picked Alex up. 

Melissa had Max and Dean move a table and some chairs into the Bookstore. She had the tea and was loading food on the tables. 

Chris wondered if they had been timed out to the Bookstore instead of being allowed to eat at the Café. It wouldn’t exactly surprise him if they had. It made him feel only slightly better that Melissa and the rest of the people that had worked at the Café today sat at one of the tables. Yep. They even had their own table. At least, it wasn’t in another room. They got to be near the grown-ups. 

Peter brought Allison and Brigid in. Brigid was hobbling and swatting at Peter. “I don’t want to be carried. I can manage just fine thankyouvereymuch.” Peter just ignored the swats and kept hold of her elbow. 

Allison went over to Stiles like a sad, droopy puppy. “I’m sorry I was mean. I’ll be a better friend from now on. I’m sorry.” She then burst into tears and flung herself against Stiles. 

Chris was impressed that Stiles stayed on his feet. He didn’t even stagger. Much. 

That started Lydia’s waterworks again. 

Stiles had his arms around Allison more as an involuntary response than out of any real desire to hold her close to him. He was looking a little wild-eyed. He looked over at Lylith. She raised a brow at him. He suddenly got a very strange look on his face. He leaned down and stuck his face in the curve of Allison’s throat and took a deep breath. When he slowly straightened up, he looked like he wanted to burst into tears. “Aw fuck. They are synching up.” 

“What?” Scott asked the question that the room was wondering. 

“You get a bunch of females together and they start synching up their menstrual cycles.”

Chris was stunned. Dean had just put down his sandwich. There was something that put Dean off food.

Peter looked down at Brigid who was swatting at the hand he had on her arm to make sure she stayed on the stool he had her perched on. “That explains your less than cheerful and amiable temperament.”  
Brigid glared at him. The Wolfgard ears heard her mutter “Bite me.”  
“Only if you are very good.”  
“Wouldn’t it be if I were bad?”  
“Nope. You have to be good. I get to be bad.”  
“Story of my life. It sucks.”  
“Can do that too.”  
Brigid started snickering. 

The younger males in the room looked at the number of females. Morgana, Lylith, Brigid, Melissa, Mouse seemed sane for the moment. Strange on Brigid’s part but sane. 

“Do we really have to talk about that kind of stuff?” Scott said it but every male was thinking it. 

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Personally I prefer to know when something is going to blow up in my face.”  
“Yeah but maybe…”  
Stiles snorted. “Their bodies are shifting their schedule. Allison’s never been all that stable to start with.” Stiles stopped and thought over what came out of his mouth. 

Sam had been eating up to that point. That was the last straw for him. “I'm done. So what? They go psycho on us?”

The males looked at each other then looked over at a crying Lydia and Allison. They looked at the other females in the room. Etienne stood up and started loading some of the food on his plate. He went into the Café and they could hear him rattling around. He had a carry bag in his hand. He looked at Melissa “I’ll come back after the females are gone and clean up and do whatever needs to be done. Leave a list.” He promptly disappeared toward the back. 

That started an exodus. Chris and Peter watched in amusement. Stiles watched in horror because he couldn’t get Allison to let go of him. 

Chris took pity on him and went over and detached his daughter. Stiles jogged out of the room. 

Brigid gave up on getting out of Peter’s hold. She looked at the amount of food left on the table. Most of the males had raided the kitchen since it was farther away and deemed safer. “Great. More food for us. Got any chocolate? Chocolate makes everything better. A Healer once told me that.” She poked Peter in the side. “Go and find out. I’ll be at the table eating.” 

“What if I can’t find any chocolate already made up?”  
“Fix some or don’t come back.”  
“Harsh.”  
“Good advice.” 

Peter snorted and ambled toward the kitchen.  
Chris stuffed his daughter in a chair and put a plate and tea in front of her. He then decided he would join Peter in the kitchen. It was safer over there. More room to run if need be.


	54. Chapter 54

The women finished off a surprising amount of chocolate. It was decided that Lylith and Morgana would stay in the apartment next to Melissa. She would take Lydia and Allison. Mouse looked thoughtfully between the two groups and then went and stood by Morgana and took her hand. Morgana’s face took on a rather odd expression but she didn’t protest. They looked at Brigid. 

“The stairs are going to be fun.”   
“Elevator in the back. I’ll take you up.” 

“Go ahead and let her get some things and then bring her to my place.”  
Brigid shook her head. “Thank you but no. I’ll be fine on by own. If I need something I can beat on the wall for Stiles.”   
“It’s not a good idea for you to stay in the apartment alone and Alex is rather young to be of physical help.” Melissa was going to be stubborn.   
“Which is why I was going to keep her company.”   
Chris just stared blankly into his teacup wondering what it had been laced with. Lylith ended up wearing hers. She had been about to take a sip when Peter made his announcement. 

“Okay fine. You snore you’re sleeping in the hall.”  
“I don’t snore.” “He doesn’t snore.” Came from Peter and Chris both. 

“Are you really..fine.. with Peter staying with you?” Melissa looked doubtful.   
“He actually makes a quite fine cuddle pillow.”  
Morgana and Lydia learned that inhaling and swallowing were two separate functions that couldn’t be performed together. It resulted in choking. 

Peter smirked at the women at the table.   
Chris sighed. Only Peter would consider antagonizing a group of PMSing women entertaining. It probably said even more about him that he chose Peter as a lover, companion and friend. A friend he was probably sitting a bit too close to now. He was in the lunging and the throwing of things fall out area. He moved over several inches out of the splash zone. 

“I’ll go ask Stiles about some MoonTime Herbals.” Lylith announced.   
“We are reimbursing him for this aren’t we?” Brigid looked at the other women. “Melissa feeds him. What do the rest of us do for him?”

A voice came from the kitchen “Stiles is more than happy, ecstatic even, to go and get a basket of MoonTime that can be shared between you. Most of what I have been dumping on you has been in the back and bottom of my workshop for awhile. I would rather give it away or just sit on it rather than have the Coven get their hands on it. Not that many females came into the Herb Store for me to give the stuff to. Plus they get more than just a little pissy when I just hand them a bottle or jar and they see what I’m giving them. Sometimes having a female scream in your ear ‘I not haz a PMS’…. Well, let’s just say it’s an experience I prefer to avoid. You can reimburse Stiles by using the products and keeping your PMS far, far away.” They could hear him going downstairs. 

Lylith looked at Morgana. Snickered.   
Morgana sighed. “What was I supposed to think when he would give me some every time I would work with him? I didn’t know that he was trying to ‘use it before lose it’. He didn’t bother to tell me either. 

“Wait, you screamed ‘I not haz a PMS’ at him?”  
“Not exactly. More like I had him cornered up against a wall and it was more snarling than screaming. I may have been thumping him on the shoulder at the same time. I had already had a shitty day and then he gives me MoonTime? Really? In what world does that even come close to being a good idea to do and stay anywhere within throwing range?”

Peter and Chris started laughing.   
Peter yelped. “Quit sticking me with your poky little fingers!” He glared at Brigid.   
“I think that it was a sweet and adorable thing for him to do.”  
“His intentions are. Admirable. Adorable. I fully respect them. It’s his timing. He seems to have permanently misplaced it when it comes to females. If they aren’t pissy when he starts dealing with him, they will be by the time he’s done some days. Usually the worse his day is, the worse it goes for him.” 

Brigid shifted in her chair. “You watched enough to know this for sure?”  
“Yes.”   
“So that means you were around for most of the entire incidents and saw where it started to go wrong?”  
“Yes. It was hysterical. You could see her start the count-down to train wreck. Everyone in the room but Stiles.”   
“And you just watched?”  
“Well. Yes.”   
“You didn’t try to help him?”  
“He didn’t take my suggestion well.”  
“What did you say?”  
“Stiles. Shut. Up.”   
“Bad Peter, no biscuit.” Brigid reached over and took the scone off Peter’s plate and started eating it. 

Chris did a controlled fall off his chair and lay on the floor. Laugh spasms were better horizontal. 

Stiles came up in a surprisingly short time. He had baskets, plural. He put one in front of every female. 

Peter was still watching Brigid nibble his scone. Eyeing his plate like she was deciding if she wanted something else. “What the fuck did you GIVE her?”  
Stiles shrugged. “The usual. PainEase topical and internal. She might have a bit of an unusual body chemistry if her reactions are anything to go by. You’re a big boy. Suck it up and deal. You can outrun her if nothing else.” 

Peter just slid his plate in front of Brigid and went to get another. He would eat in the kitchen with the other males. 

Scott picked up Alex. “Come on Little Dude. We’ll go and get our stuff and hide at Stiles. We want to get there before the females come up.”  
Alex looked over at his mother.   
“Believe me. She’ll be fine. She’ll have Peter trained to fetch her slippers before the evening is over.” Scott moved forward a good step. “Ow. That HURT.” Peter had smacked him on the back of the head as he passed.   
“I spent several headache inducing sessions convincing Chris not to get all over your ass when you open your mouth and stupid things fall out. Do. Not. Make me reconsider.” 

Scott hunched his shoulders and got his food. He gave an excellent impression of having his tail tucked up to somewhere around his navel even though he was not in Wolf form. Alex was patting him. He didn’t disagree. 

Peter fixed himself a plate and stood leaning against the counter beside Max to eat.   
“I don’t think we have ever actually been introduced.” Max’s manner training was kicking in. He put his plate down and brushed his hand over his pants before holding it out to Peter. “I’m Maximillian Bonaventure Grimalkin. I tend to prefer Max.” 

Peter looked at his hand. “Not the best of ideas. Offering your bare hand.”  
Max just returned his gaze calmly. Waiting.   
Peter sighed. Deeply. He put his plate down. “Pyotr Alexeyevich Hale. Peter.” He shook Max’s hand.

“You’re an Alexander too?” Alex was surprised and pleased.   
“Yep. Family name. I got stuck with some of those too.”  
“Was that all of the name?”  
“Nope.”  
“Do we get to hear the entire thing?”  
“Not this lifetime.” 

Max nodded. “That bad.”   
Peter agreed. “That bad.” 

“Brigid is frowning in this direction.”  
Peter stuck his head around the opening. He deepened his voice. “You rang?”  
Brigid looked at him. “You definitely needed to get out more. You watch way too many movies.” She shook her head and stood and gathered her basket. “You may be my knight in tarnished armor now and carry me away.”   
Peter snorted. “And you read too many of those porn-mance novels.” 

Brigid just grinned at him. “But I had to know what I was missing. A girl’s gotta dream.”  
Peter strolled over to her. “You do realize that most of those acrobatics and antics would be…doubtful for a human to actually be able to perform?”  
“Duh. Why do you think that there was such a market for half-breed/human romance? The thought of having a male that didn’t just come, roll over and pass out was irresistible.” 

She caught Peter just as he was about to pick her up. He had bent slightly. He ended up with his face pressed against her stomach snorting inelegantly with laughter. It took him a bit to get himself back under control. 

Stiles eased over near Chris. “Am I the only one finding the fact that they get along so well…scary?”  
“I haven’t decided what category to put it in. It’s definitely rather disturbing. Peter is usually on his own. Most people try very hard to discourage him not encourage.”   
Stiles nodded and he watched Brigid petting Peter’s hair with an expression of triumph. “I think I really need to reduce the dosage next time. Maybe I should just find something all together different to give her. Yeah. I’ll just do that.” He wandered off downstairs making a wide detour around the now giggling pair.   
Peter swept her up theatrically and carried her off to the back to the Elevator. 

Lydia looked at Mouse. “You See things.” She looked at where the two had disappeared. “Never mind. It doesn’t do any good to run if it’s already too late.” She gathered the plates and things on the table to take them to the kitchen. 

The males stayed out of her way. They just stayed quietly out of the way till the females went up the stairs. “I know where Melissa keeps the Brandy.” Grunts of acknowledgement and appreciation followed the statement.


	55. Chapter 55

Peter held Brigid securely as the elevator ascended. “You are a very devious female.”  
“Thank you.”  
“It wasn’t totally a compliment.”  
“I know. But it worked.” 

Peter nodded. “Distraction? Confusion? So they band together against not exactly an enemy but someone that they are unsure of? Make them cling to more known elements?”  
“I don’t think I was actually that analytical or had that much of a plan. I just kind of went with it. You played it beautifully. Thank you.”  
“What makes you think I was playing?”  
“Playing along then.” 

Peter put her down to open the gates to the elevator. Brigid hobbled out before he could pick her back up. He closed the gate and walked over to the fence that separated the areas. 

Brigid pointed to the latch that was hidden in the iron work. “I like this part. The little fenced in areas with the screening. Or I will once it gets warm enough to sit out here and not be a masochist.” 

“There is a greenhouse on the roof.”

Brigid waved him off as he went to pick her up. “It’s silly to keep picking me up and putting me back down. I can make it to the door with a little help. I don’t want you to strain your back.” 

Peter gave her an odd look. “I think that you are forgetting something.”  
“Such as?”  
He waved. “Not human.”  
She waved back. “Not helpful.”  
After the shock wore off his grin was endearing. “I do like you, Smartass.”  
“I love you too, Prick.”  
His mouth dropped open in astonishment before the laughter spilled out of him. He leaned against the door. He looked at her his eyes gleam in delight. “Prick? Why prick?”  
“It’s what you do. What you are. Prickles. You haz them. You poke at people to keep them off guard. To keep them moving. To keep them alive sometimes I would imagine. I haven’t really seen it but I would imagine that you are as focused on your dick as most males. It just works so well for you.” 

He crowded her against the door. “So. You love me?” He put his hands on either side of her and leaned into her slightly.  
“Like a really annoying but beloved older brother.”  
Peter blinked. He rubbed his cheek against hers. “So I do nothing for you?”  
“I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t say that at all. I certainly appreciate you holding me and my hair when I puked up my toenails. Keeping me warm. Fed. Holding me while I cried myself to sleep and not commenting or making fun of me. There’s a great deal that you do for me.”  
“But making your panties wet? That’s not among those things. Is it?”  
Brigid reached up and put her arms around his neck. They were forehead to forehead. She ran her fingers through his hair. It was shoulder length and curling. He had it gelled to keep it under control. “I don’t think my panties remember what it is to be wet. Not unless I pee myself laughing which has happened lately. Most embarrassing.”  
“Does… Stiles would be too uncomfortable for some examinations. You don’t like Lylith.”  
“I don’t dislike Lylith. I just don’t think quite as highly of her as she does herself.”  
“She does have a take charge attitude and strong self-esteem.”  
“I don’t like how she runs over Stiles and he lets her. He and I are going to have to have a talk about standing your ground.”  
“Even when you are on losing ground?”  
“Even then. Sometimes that is the most important time to make and take a stand. I learned to be devious. I learned to pick my battles. I learned that fair and honest and honorable only mean you will lose in some wars. I learned to do what it took to survive and counted that as winning. I was still in the fight.”  
Peter straightened and picked her up. He gently swayed to unheard music. “Strange how some things bypass race, gender or species.”  
“I don’t think either of us are in our happy place right now.”  
“No. Not really.”  
“It got better. This is a good place to be.”  
“It is.”  
“Chris. Allison. You have a place.”  
“And so do you.”  
“That’s all that really matters in the end. A place in the sun. A place when the shadows fall. A place to belong and people to belong with.”  
“I’m going to need some of that MoonTime soon.”  
Brigid laughed. “Fine. Stoop slightly and I’ll see if I can manage to open the door. Show me how strong you are.”  
“Watch this then. Get a good grip on your basket.” He shifted her to over his shoulder and opened the door.  
“You’re such a romantic.”  
“You have no idea.”  
Brigid giggled all of the way to the kitchen. “You better be really glad that my stomach has settled or you would have puke all down your back. And on that note. Do you have to lay on the bed and pull up the zipper with pliers?”  
“What are you talking about?”  
She put her hands in his back pockets. “They stretch. Now that is actually sensible.”  
“Are you actually groping my ass?”  
“I’m checking the fit of your jeans. Just thinking of you and your package. Wouldn’t want it to get squished or damaged. I think Chris is fond of it and I like Chris.”  
Peter eased her back down to the floor. There was a kind of gentle amusement on his face. “Annoying but beloved older brother?”  
“Afraid so.”  
“I can live with that. You make a wonderful bratty and beloved little sister.”  
Her eyes teared up and took them both by surprise. There was such an expression of pain and longing.  
Peter sat on the kitchen chair and pulled her into his lap. Pressed her face against his throat. “Do you have any idea at all what you would be getting yourself into?”  
She shook her head. “Does anyone? Would we have the families we have if we really chose in cold blood?”  
“Family?” He could feel the wetness trickle down his throat. “Family then.” He rocked her. “Mother Night help us both.” He suddenly started smiling and laughed softly. “And the rest of the fucking world when we join forces. Right? Sister mine?”  
His answer was a sob and arms that threatened to cut off his air. That was the reason he was having a hard time catching his breath. It really was. It could cause chest pains as well.


	56. Chapter 56

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is where I start earning the mature rating for more than language.

Peter stood easily even with her in his lap. He walked over to the too comfortable sofa and sat. He pulled the quilt off the back and covered Brigid with it. He toed off his shoes and got comfortable on the couch. It was intimate. He put her between his thighs so she would use his chest as a pillow. He ran his hand through her long hair. Slowly and comfortingly. Almost more for himself than for her. 

“This has to do with Chris and that little book you keep looking at doesn’t it?”  
Peter tugged on her hair. “Don’t think we have Seer in the family line.”   
“Dead sure?”

He looked down at her.   
She had her hands folded on his chest and her chin resting on them. “Maybe not Seer but I’ve gotten pretty good at reading people. Vampire or not, you’re still people. That’s the part that makes me question. You and Chris aren’t as intimate as people might have been led to believe. Are you?”  
“Asking or telling?”  
“Both. Confirm please.”  
“Why?”  
“Because I can’t help you if you don’t give me the information that I need.”

He shifted on the pile of pillows and tilted his head back. “Maybe because I don’t really understand myself. Maybe. Just maybe I’m afraid.”  
“Afraid. You poke at a table of PMSing women. Not the first word that comes to mind. So. That means that the fear isn’t for yourself. Which leaves…”  
“Christopher.”   
“Wolfgard.” 

Peter looked at her. Shoved the pillows into a more comfortable position. “We are having this conversation. Aren’t we?”  
“Yep. Nobody can poke your buttons, fuck you up or set you straight like family.” Her little chin was firmly set. 

“Christopher is Wolfgard which is what I suppose you mean.”   
“And you are?”  
“Sanguinati, of course.”  
“And?”  
“And Sanguinati and Wolfgard don’t have the best of histories.”  
“What’s the other half or is it more than half? You are Sanguinati and…”  
He looked at her in surprise. “What else is there? What else would I be?”  
“Are you aware where my hip is and how much pressure I can exert on your nuts?”  
“No. But I have the feeling I could be.”  
“You will be very much feeling it if you don’t start blabbing what you know and what you suspect. I don’t get out much but I do hear things. People like to talk to me and tell me gossip. There are a number of Sanguinati/Wolfgard couples. Oh so scandalous. Titillating even. Sly speculation about the forms that are used for nookie. The Other are just as guilty as the Humans. But my point is.. the couples are out there. The Hales are different. Supposedly they don’t taint their blood by copulating with animals. I think with all that protesting there is more to it. So that leads me to suspect that the Hale blood isn’t in danger of being tainted. It’s already Dark. And that look of panic in your pretty blue eyes tells me I’m on the right track. So. What are you keeping from Chris? What have you not told him and let him make his own choices and allow him to help?” 

“There are journals in the Family that have been handed down over…centuries.”   
“And the old book that you’ve been carrying around with you? Would that be one of those journals?”  
Peter sighed.   
“So you have read something. Not talked to anyone about and decided for yourself and for Chris and everyone else concerned to keep your distance. It’s too dangerous.” Brigid rolled her eyes. “You can be so stupid for a smart man. Living tends to be dangerous. You know that very well. So what’s the rest of it?” 

“It would change him.”  
“Then tell him about it and let him make the choice.”   
“Informed choice. I know what his sire was. I’m not so sure about Chantal. I know she was more than just Wolfgard. But I don’t know what Bloodline. There are ways to prepare for the Changing. But they are specific. There is no such thing as one size fits all.”

“Backtrack Chantal’s family line? Blood test? The information is there. We just need to figure out where it is and how to get it.”   
“Grandfather is a royal pain in the ass. He gave me this journal for a reason.”  
“Which means he knows something and is giving you a clue. What other Other is mentioned in the journal?” 

“It is told from the point of view of a Gypcan named Tristan.” He opened the journal and began to read

**The Gypcan had to learn that caution and manners were the order of the day. They were weak physically compared to the other races. They had their abilities but it was more cunning and subversion than in outright confrontation. They were the slow, the subtle, the hidden with ties to all and none.**

**The Incuban were like a shadowy force of nature. They were said to be daemon-touched. They weren’t evil incarnate or ravening beasts but they were deadly like a poisonous creature that could kill by an inadvertent sting.**

**There were a few of the other races that lived in the city. Phoenix, Wyvern, Chimera and Dragons. The Kraken rarely ventured far from their beloved sea. Most races had settled into their spheres and interacted only when it benefited them.  
There were parts to the Incuban section that were easily available and then others that were by invitation only. You didn't belong you didn't get through the gate. If you did manage, it was on your own head. It was well known and never mentioned that the Festival was the Incuban’s way of relieving their need for blood and sex. **

**Tristan knew that it had been tradition for generations that those that wished could participate in the Rites of Festival. Those were the times when the Seven Races met and mingled in peace and prosperity.**

**Some of the Seven participated more whole-heartedly than others. With the Gypcan it was usually the thrill seekers and those whose options were limited. Aggie and Maggie had chosen that route.**

**They could not be ill but those that were less favored physically found it agreeable to look to the Incuban. They were given gifts of coin, precious and semi-precious stones that would be sewn into their dower belt. With enough value in their belts, even the most homely man or woman became attractive.**

**There were good rewards but here were always risks involved. Things were usually managed where no one was killed or maimed but the more fragile Gypcan could be hurt.**

**Even the female Incuban were as strong if not stronger than the Gypcan. That was one thing that made it hard on the men’s egos and prevented some from participating.**

**Tristan thought over the information that he had gathered over the years.**

**Those that wanted to be intimate with the Incuban were called Potentials. They were gathered together in a section that was by invitation only. It made it easier for those in charge to make sure of their safety. It was richly and tastefully decorated coaxing the Gypcan that this could be their lifestyle of they joined with the Incuban.**

**The negotiations and meetings were handled there. No one from their town would have to know what they did to earn the riches of their dower belt or sash unless they chose to divulge the information.**

**Males had a sash rather than a belt. For both sexes the Incuban decorated the outside of the pouch that was sewn shut with the offering inside. The knot-work told a story if the person knew how to read it. Who it was and how good they considered the experience. One pouch for each day of Festival and the celebration would last for three days. There may be several names; there may only be one.**

**Those that intended to share time with the Incuban were first examined and questioned about their beliefs and expectations. If they passed they would be allowed into the more secluded areas where they would mingle with the mysterious Incuban. Tall, golden demon spawn that had strange appetites and abilities. The only ones with a worse reputation were the Wyvern and the Dragon.**

**Their first Festival it was accepted for the Potentials to suffer from nerves and refuse all offers. The three pouches would be sewn shut and the symbol of the Festival placed with knot-work in the center of each pocket. However, it the trend continued through their second Festival they were no longer allowed to participate. It prevented those that were there to look and then spread untruths. Those that participated had no room to cast stones.**

**It reassured the Gypcan to know that it was only for pleasure not procreation. No one wanted to pay the price for their future by having a half-breed child. The Incuban required unknown rituals to make a Gypcan pregnant.**

**Tristan stayed close to the Incuban section and watched and thought. He wouldn’t say that he really knew any of the Incuban but he was at least familiar with them. They were good and bad just like everyone else. They could be generous or petty, patient or harsh depending on their mood. In some ways, there was no real difference.**

**It was a way out. He was tired of the unending sameness of his life. He wanted so very badly to create life instead of having to deal with the reality of survival and death. He was willing to take some chances and do what was necessary to breathe life into his dream. He just hoped that he was warmed by the fires of Festival and not burned.**

Brigid looked confused. “I don’t recognize any of those names.”  
“Neither do I.”   
“I take it that Grandfather isn’t providing Cheat Notes Edition?”  
Peter just rolled his eyes.  
“Incuban require blood and sex?”  
“Which makes them the most likely candidate to be connected to the Sanguianati. That isn’t the question. I know what I am. I already knew I had Incuban in the bloodline. The question is…what is Chris.”   
“Is there a reason you are in a panic about this?”  
“Allison.”  
Brigid’s eyes got very big. “You did some sort of ritual didn’t you. Something that you read about and thought it sounded like a good way to keep her safe and Chris agreed. So! Was there also someone that actually had a fucking clue about the Bloodlines involved that concurred this was a good idea?”   
“Chris’ mother Chantal.”  
“I supposed that the woman was aware of her Bloodline?”  
“I think so.”  
“You THINK so? I really need to introduce you people to this nifty idea. Brand new. Never been tried around here…it’s called COMMUNICATION. Like actually talking and exchanging information and confirming that the other person does in fact get what you are trying to convey? And I thought my family was fucked up. Oh well.” Brigid rubbed her face against Peter’s chest. “This is going to make my head hurt.” 

“So this Tristan is a…Gypcan. He sounds an awful lot like a regular Human. That would be represented by me.” She gave him a bright smile.   
“And this Tristan ends up with an…Incuban? Needs blood and sex. Whoa. Wait just a minute. What exactly did that say? Festival? That part had to read like a porn movie!” 

With a wicked grin Peter handed her the journal. It was open to a specific part marked by a crimson ribbon. “I’ll just go into the kitchen and get you a drink of nice cold water. You’ll need it.” He moved out from under Brigid and left her to read. Daring her.   
**  
He gathered his nerve and fingered his Rowan sprig one last time and entered the Incuban section reserved for the Potentials. There he would meet with his Advocate and sip more of the tea that was supposed to prevent him from turning tail and running.**

**That would allow those interested to look him over and decided if they wanted to pursue their interest. A strip of material with intricate knot-work lay on a stool before him.**

**Ricardo, his Advocate, had explained the code to him. He was willing to accept female lovers with no stipulations other than he was to be unharmed. He was also willing to accept a male lover. He was a virgin of great power and that gift was not to be wasted.**

**Tristan didn’t know how Ricardo had arrived at that conclusion but he wasn’t going to contest it. His partner must be proven to be experienced. He didn’t know how that was going to be verified but at least it wasn’t his problem.**

**His difficulty was that he only had to agree to the best offer that his Advocate arranged for him and then go off with some strange man and have sex. He was already embarrassed about the “preparations” that he had undergone at one of the Healing stations. He had been subjected to a through cleansing inside and out. Then he had been oiled, probed, plucked and groomed to within an inch of his life.**

**Secretly he had enjoyed it though. He felt better now that his body had been rid of most of the toxins that had been gathering and slowing him down. He didn’t feel as dull and clogged. He had made a careful note of the herbs and doses that he had been given and had asked questions. They told him that he didn't have to do it himself. If he wished something could be worked out to keep his body in condition. He would think on that later. Right now he had more pressing concerns.**

**He kept telling himself that he had come too far to back out now. He could attain his dream of being educated within a year. He was already looked at as being something of a dreamer and freak for his ambitions. They didn’t understand why he was so stuck on the books and why he was always scribbling things down. What did it matter? He was a Tanner. 'That was another world and it wasn't theirs.' His family kept reminding him. It would be more fitting and achievable to think to tame a Dragon to hand.**

**He wondered if the tea came in double measure as he took in the tall, powerful blondes that prowled before the area.**

**His nerves began to get the better of him and some of the other thoughts began to surface. They were warrior bred and demon spawned with appetites and abilities that he heard mentioned only as whispers when all of the younglings were supposedly safely tucked in their beds.**

**Inhuman stamina and proportions coupled with desires that would never surface in the light of day. There was nothing beyond or beneath them. Their inordinately long lives meant they explored to the fullest what the Gypcan could only imagine in the hidden secret places of the moonless nights.**

**Sweet Maid and Holy Mother! Is this what it was like for a woman on her Virgin Night? He wondered why, with the attack of bone-chilling nerves, that more women didn’t chose chastity as he watched the muscular males. They wore their flowing robes parted and the light shirts and decorated vests drew attention to the power of chest and arms. The supple material of the form-fitting breeches that drew the eye to their “attributes”.**

**After an hour of being on display, Ricardo pulled him over to the side and explained the offers that he had received.**

**There were three. The petitioners were all older and powerful from the Houses of Fire, Water and Earth that had amassed wealth and knowledge. A forest fire. A tidal wave or an earthquake. What a wonderful set of choices.**

**Ricardo was explaining what each had to offer confusing him and making his stomach roll. The gifts exceeded his expectations and the males were more than he was prepared to deal with. This had all the ear-marks of a big mistake. His honor and pride wouldn’t let him back out now though.**

**Tristan finally focused on the most important thing to him. “Which one is know as the most patient and has the lightest hand with his horses?”**

**Ricardo gave him a funny look but then smirked as he understood what Tristan was really asking. “Ethan is the best with animals. He has no great affection for people but always treats those under his care well. This is his sigil.” He pointed to an intricate design on the table to the side.**

**All of the offers were pretty equal so it would depend on the man that he found the most reassuring or rather the least unnerving. They all made his skin crawl with the power radiating off of them. The two blondes had an edge that made him very leery of trusting his safety in their hands. The last one seemed slightly younger and a little more approachable looking. He was a Dark Incuban though. Those were whispered to be even worse. He was as the old cliché went “between the devil and the deep blue sea”.**

**“He understands what I want? That this is my first time and I’m nervous?”**

**“He is more than capable of fulfilling all of your expectations plus he is known to have an excellent library and is very knowledgeable on many subjects.”**

**“All right. How do I accept his offer?”**

**“Pick up the piece of fabric with his personal symbol on it and walk to the Trysting Place. No one will bother you.”**

**Tristan took a deep breath and did as he was told. He could feel the Incuban shadowing him. He had looked almost gentle compared to the others. There was enough presence radiating off the man to warn the others away from approaching him though. Suddenly, Tristan felt very uncertain of his shadow. What if it were one of the others? What would he do if they decided that they had changed his choice of partners for him?**

**Tristan turned back to look to make sure Ethan was the one that was following him as he hesitated at the doorway to the Trysting Place.**

**His heart stuttered. Dangerous. That was the first thought that came to mind and jumped up and down screaming to get his attention. Much too close and lit by the flickering lights, the formerly mellow-looking man had the aura of the demon touched. Tristan was terrified that he had made a horrendous mistake.**

**Eerie heat radiated off the body that seemed to appear before him. Tristan jerked backward and thudded into the heavy, wooden door. He knew that he looked panicked. There was nothing that he could do about it though, it was all too true. Warmth enclosed his arms and slid firmly down to his clenched fists. They were brought up to chest level and his fingers were slowly and gently straightened. A deeply pitched croon vibrated his bones and he felt himself relaxing against his will.**

**“Your hands are cold. Inside where it is warm. I have a room that I keep here. I think you will like it. Come. Come inside and let’s get you warm.”**

**Tristan found himself going down gray stone hallways that baffled his sense of direction and inside a room with no real memory of how he got there.**

**There was a quiet elegance and pleasant scent about the room. He was guided over to the fire-stove and guided to sit on the wide, low couch. The fire behind the mica panels illuminated the room and gave it a warmth in the still chilly air.**

**Ethan fixed him more of the tea that he loved and despised. He cradled the handless cup in both hands and tried not to shift away when the Incuban sat beside him on the couch. A light wrap was placed around his shoulders and gentle hands stroked soothingly until some of the shakes had stopped.**

**Tristan felt like such a coward and fool. He had prided himself on his courage. He had secretly snickered at some of his family with their insecurities and dramatics. Suddenly, he was the one acting like a shrinking flower on a first date.**

**The Sofa had a high, curving back at one end that tapered down to a low roll. Ethan positioned himself against high back and coaxed Tristan to sit between his legs and rest against his chest.**

**Once Tristan had several more cups of the tea and was calmer, Ethan shifted them until they were chest to chest and began to kiss him. There was intimacy in kisses. Somehow it made it more personal. Less like a business transaction of his body for gold or jewels and more of a blending of two not-quite-lovers.**

**He was coaxed to touch the Incuban’s face, throat and chest. What was known usually wasn’t feared. Gently, he was guided to remove Ethan’s upper clothing until the smooth, muscular chest was bare.**

**The neck was bronzed and sturdy. He wasn’t thickly muscled but it was obvious that he was strong. The swells and valleys of the muscles on the golden torso fascinated Tristan. He was more hairless than Tristan expected from the thick hair and beard. Evidently the Incuban enjoyed the attention. So quiet they were on the threshold of the audible, purrs sounded from Ethan’s throat.**

**Tristan discovered how very sensitive the dark nipples were. Touches caused them to pebble and licks made for a whole body shiver. A gentle bite drew a moan that made his toes curl.**

**Ethan slowly removed his clothing until he was naked. It made it real. Seeing him half roused and hungers rising to possess. Tristan’s hands began to tremble.**

**Ethan was patient and understanding. With steady hands, he coaxed Tristan to familiarize himself with his body. It was similar enough to his own to disperse some of the unease and the boy didn’t protest when Ethan began to remove his vest and shirt in turn.**

**Soon Tristan found himself naked and shaking from something other than nerves.**

**The muscular body was curved around him almost shelteringly and yet as if the Incuban was hungry to maximize the amount of contact between their bodies. It was a slow arching flex of hips against him rather than the almost rutting type of behavior that he was expecting. The way the beautiful face had nuzzled against him to press against bare skin. The slow, deep breaths as if his scent was the finest of perfumes to be savored. The heat and need rolling off of Ethan in almost visible waves.**

**The long-fingered hand slid from his hip to his groin and cupped him firmly. The soft sound that Ethan made when his clever fingers explored the length and found him half-hard. It was a cross between a hiss and a growl but of pleasure instead of warning. It was more skilled than he would have guessed. /Confident of his ability to pleasure. He should have realized. Dark pleasure is what the Incuban were despite their golden coloration./**

**The firm pressure against his stomach allowed him to realize that the Incuban was well-endowed and now fully aroused. /Uh! I hope that’s fully hard. It must be. He can’t get any bigger. Please don’t let him get any bigger./**

**Tristan could feel the firm flesh stroke against him with a soft, breathy sound that made his toes curl and the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end. He had never been with someone that was so vocal. Quiet enough that it wouldn’t be heard out of the area of the sofa but still more… He wasn’t used to the whispered words that he couldn’t understand and the low pleasure sounds that interspersed the erotic movements.**

**A bite at the juncture of neck and shoulder followed by an open-mouthed kiss made Tristan shudder. It took him off guard and melted his very bones.**

**"So responsive. Relax and it will make it more pleasurable." The softly accented voice had deepened in pitch with desire.**

**The scent of arousal was strong in the air. Tristan trembled at the effect. He was dazed and yet his body and mind wanted more. Wanted! Not endured! He wanted what his lover was offering. His blood was hot and his body was aching and empty. He needed to be touched. He wanted to be filled and claimed.**

**Gentle hands rolled him over onto his side. Ethan licked his way down the spine until he arrived at the small delicate pucker. The boy would be one of the few that he would performed this service for. Tristan was frustratingly sensitive and would be fragile to possess. The healing properties of his blood and saliva meant there would be no tears and pain when he finished. Ethan lost himself in the beyond silken texture of the most private of places. He could detect traces of the faintly salty cleaning solution and underlying that the earthy taste of Tristan himself. The same thing that would make his blood taste so exquisite.**  
For a moment, he allowed himself to become lost in the sensations.   
The sobs that shook the slender body caught his attention. The boy was stimulated beyond his ability to think, understand or endure. 

**Ethan placed him on knees and elbows. Sweat and tears fell on the sofa like a gentle rain as Tristan struggled to keep upright. He was losing his control and sense of reality.**

**A naked male body curled over his sheltering him for a moment from a world that had become too much. A strong arm around his waist steadied him and allowed him to catch his balance. He was eased back slowly until he was sitting in Ethan’s lap as hands soothed him and lulled him into a twilight world.  
He was shifted slightly until their mouths could meet in slow drugging kisses. The strange sparks in his blood began to heat and he pressed into the kisses cutting his lips and tongue on the sharp teeth. The bite of pain made it even more arousing as he could feel and taste the excitement in his soon to be lover’s body. The tiny wounds healed quickly and he reopened them again till Ethan pulled away and pressed him back into position. **

**He could hear someone whimpering as he was positioned but he didn’t know who it was. His mind was dizzy, empty, reduced to instinct and need. He needed his lover’s possession. He was being burned alive and the only thing that would quench the flames was his lover claiming and possessing him.**

**A thick cock penetrated him. He was trapped not knowing if it was heaven or hell. He was burning. His blood was on fire. He couldn’t think; he could only feel.**

**His lover was driving into him mercilessly, raking over and over that special spot that was driving him insane. It had never been this intense. The strokes were slow but exceedingly powerful a razor’s edge away from being brutal. His slender body couldn’t take the strain and he folded in on himself as arms and legs gave up the struggle to support him.**

**He was engulfed in a warm tide of sexuality. His lover was milking his brains out the end of his dick and he was going to die from the pleasure. Just when he thought that he couldn’t stand anymore there was a second penetration on his neck. He screamed and his body spasmed as he was drained dry.**

**His lover is the only stable force in his universe. He was floating on a sea of starlit darkness tethered only by Ethan’s body. It was pleasure after pleasure until his consciousness faded.**

Brigid sat there in shock and feeling a good number of emotions. There was one question that she just had to ask. “Damn. Was that what it’s supposed to be like when the guy knows what he’s doing? I have been cheated all my life!” 

Peter sat on the couch beside her and handed her the glass of water. Snickering as she drank it in one go and fanned her face. It would be good to acquaint her with the fact that not all males are crappy lovers. He rather thought she was considering the message. Her face almost, almost matched her hair. 

Life was good.


	57. Chapter 57

Chris grabbed Peter by the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him into the office the next morning. “Okay. What did you do? Brigid has been quietly thoughtful all morning long. She makes these notes in a little book she’s keeping in her jacket pocket. She’s one of the quiet ones. They are the most dangerous kind. What happened last night?”

“We talked.”  
Chris glared. And ground his teeth.  
“We decided that our relationship was more of a sibling bond than anything else. Being the bratty and beloved little sister that is her nature she decided that I needed help. And she was the one that was going to give it to me.”  
“Help for what? Help how?” Chris hesitated. “This help doesn’t include me in the planning? Does it?”  
“What do you think?”  
“I’m screwed.”  
“She’s working on that for you. You should express your thanks.”

Chris took several deep breaths. And walked away. Actually, Peter checked out the hip motion. It was more like a stalk really. A nicely sexy one. 

He wandered into the kitchen where Brigid had been parked to deal with paperwork. Again. The bathroom and couch were nearby and she had food and drink at hand. One of the large tables had been moved into the room against the back wrought iron gate for her to do her sorting at. 

He watched her. She was sorting. It wasn’t her usual quick efficient style. It was more pensive. Peter pulled a chair over to the end of the table and sat. 

She had her foot on a stool under the table to keep it elevated. She didn’t look to be in pain. 

“Find anything interesting?”  
“Maybe.”

“Care to share?”  
“Maybe.”

“Bitch.”  
“Prick.”  
There was a choking sound from the hallway. Which they both ignored. 

She put the papers down and leaned forward. “I started thinking. After I got over the shock of Oh WOW they had sex and it was really pleasurable for both of them and how novel is that!”  
Peter looked wary. “I’m glad you remembered how to think.”  
“I don’t remember any words or ritual but…”  
“Yes?”  
“Tristan was a virgin. Being his first lover or sex partner would gain the other participant power. True?”  
All humor left Peter’s face. “Yes.”  
“Different people. Different kinds of people. They would have different amounts of power. Wouldn’t they?”  
“Your point?”

Brigid leaned forward more and lowered her voice. “Stiles. Scott. Lydia. Morgana. Mouse. Allison. How many of them would be classified as a virgin? How many of them would it be easy for someone to put something in their drink? Their bed? Make them compliant. For what? To what? Willing or unwilling? Which would raise more power? Given or taken?” She leaned back. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”  
“I can see why.”  
“Can you?”  
“Yes.”  
“Got any ideas that might make it easier to sleep?”  
“A few.”  
“Any you want to share?”  
“No.”  
“Didn’t think so. I guess I’ll have to come up with my own.”  
“You do that.” 

“I did have another cheery thought.”  
“Really?”  
“No. But I’m sharing it anyway. The Coven probably isn’t the only threat. I doubt they are working alone. They are the one that is most obvious. So! Who are they acting as a distraction for?”  
“I think I hate you.”  
“No you don’t.”  
“No. I don’t.” He got up and cupped her face in both hands. Held it for a moment and then kissed her forehead. “Things to do. People to see. Answers to get. Be back later.”  
“Have fun.”  
The smile Peter gave her as he looked back was chilling. “I will.” 

He passed Chris in the hallway. And pulled him in for a toe-curling, bone melting kiss. Then strolled out.  
“What the fuck prompted that?”  
“You can thank me anytime. With chocolate would be good. Or pastries. Or…you know what. You do need to think for yourself. Come up with something Christopher.” Brigid’s voice came from the kitchen.  
Chris started in surprise. He shuddered. They were already sounding much too much alike for his comfort. He really needed to talk to Stiles about the Herbals he was dosing Brigid with. Maybe…he should just go next door and throw himself on Max’s mercy. The kid was pretty softhearted. He would come up with something. 

He wandered next door and parked himself at the end of counter near the sink. That had a number of dishes. Might as well if he was going to hit the kid up for treats. Chris got busy washing. It didn’t take him any time to get the sink empty. He turned to see Max watching him.  
“Hiding? In trouble? Something that you need?” Max smiled faintly. “Besides the charm of my company?”  
Chris felt his lips twitch. “I’m surrounded by smartasses.”  
“Would you prefer dumbasses?”  
He sighed. “I call those family.”  
After a couple of seconds, Max started laughing. “Very well.”

“Brigid threw me out of the kitchen. Told me I owe her. She is working on getting me nookie.”  
Max turned back to his counter. His lips twitching. “Ahhh.”  
“Got a nice kiss.”  
“Good start.”  
“She and Peter have bonded.”  
“Oh. Well. That’s…”  
“Yeah.” He paused for effect. “They have decided they are siblings separated at birth.”  
Max watched as the other people turned to look at Chris in horror and alarm. “I take it this is not a cause for rejoicing?”

Dean walked over and put his arms around Max’s waist. “No.”  
“Because?”  
“Because Peter is bad enough on his own but with someone actually encouraging him… She’s not encouraging him? Is she?”

Chris looked at Dean. “You were in the room last night just the same as I was. What do you think?”  
Dean rubbed his forehead against Max’s neck and shoulder.  
“Look at it this way. The Coven will probably never know what hit them.” He paused to think about what he knew Peter was capable of. And what he expected Brigid could be capable with sufficient provocation. “Never see it coming till they were already burning.”

Max blinked at the image. “Oh my. That’s drastic. Probably warranted but…”  
“That might be a mild reaction. They were talking too quietly even for Wolfgard hearing.”  
“About?”  
“Don’t know. Peter left with that charming murder-and-mayhem look in his eyes.” 

“Let me start something that Brigid will like. I find baking soothing. Fortunately. I’m feeling in the need of doing lots of baking.”  
Chris just nodded. He looked at Scott at the register. Nope. That would be Melissa. He was willing to talk to Stiles and watch his head implode. He had a thought. He turned to Dean. “Sam is usually in Wolf form when we deal with each other. There have only been a handful of conversations between us.”  
“Yeah. And you’re telling me this why?”  
“He’s the research guy?”  
“Yeah. Sammy’s damn good at it. Wait.” Dean let go of Max and faced Chris. “Research?”  
“I believe so.”  
“Double your supply order Babe. Research is never good.” He placed a kiss on Max’s neck. He went back to what he had been doing. 

Chris stroked a hand down Max’s suddenly tense back. “Familiar ground. We’re still here.”  
“I’ll bring your ‘please don’t gut me’ gift over when I’m done.”  
“You’re fitting in really well.”  
“Thank you.” 

Chris strolled back to the Bookstore. He had a conversation to start. From behind Stiles out of spew and flail range.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

The store was quiet for the moment. “Morgana, would you mind taking over the counter while I take Stiles to lunch?”  
She gave him a look. It wasn’t a friendly one. “Why are you taking him to lunch? You don’t pay him any more attention than you have to. Why is this suddenly changing?”

Chris was taken aback. He wasn’t the only one.  
Stiles was sputtering and flailing.  
The customers were gaping and trying to decide if it would be better to move closer to hear or to back away, slowly.

Chris nodded . “Fair enough. It’s been brought to my attention that certain matters need to be addressed. It would have been up to Teyla to discuss such things with him. I doubt they got handled. I really doubt it. I’m about to find out.”  
“Why?”  
Chris smiled at her. “Because he isn’t Teyla’s anymore.”  
“Whose is he then?”  
“Mine.”

Stiles was making squawking noises. Which they both ignored.  
“Fine. You may take him to lunch. However long it takes. I will eat when you return him.”  
“Thank you.”  
“Welcome.” 

“Christopher?”  
“Yes.”  
“Yours isn’t the only protection he is under. It would be wise to remember that.”  
“Duly noted.” He took Stiles by the arm and led him to the Café and Max.  
Who was giving him a look that wasn’t promising. “The thing about Other hearing and Others? They feel the need to do a play by play for those of us with less stellar skills.”  
“Oh?”  
“It can be annoying.”  
“How so?”  
“They seem to forget that just because a being has less than supernatural hearing that doesn’t mean that they are deficient.”  
“I’m not following.”  
Max turned to face him. Those blue eyes had a glacial cast. “I would hope that this conversation that I am about to supply sustenance for is warranted and beneficial. Stiles has been very kind to me. He has taken me in and cared for me. That means something in my world.”  
“And?”  
“I would take it amiss if I believed he were being harassed, abused or mistreated in any way for the amusement of another.”

Chris looked at Max. Curious. “Are you threatening me?”  
The entire room stilled.  
“Of course not. It would be counterproductive and foolish to threaten.”  
Dean breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t have to go over there and tackle Chris to rescue his boyfriend.  
“I am merely apprising you that all actions have consequences. Consider it a friendly warning.”  
“Friendly warning?” Chris looked amused. “Then what would an unfriendly warning be?”

He found himself tripping over the baking cart behind him clutching his stomach. His bleeding stomach. 

Max regarding him with chilling composure. “I’m going to have to sanitize that now and the knife. Oh well. Unfriendly enough?”

Chris looked down at his sweater and stomach with the line of blood. He was healing. The cut had been shallow. The sweater was ruined from the slice and blood. “That will do. I’ll definitely keep it in mind.” He straightened up and looked at Max. Really looked. Then started smiling back. They did understand each other. “I get treats for the pseudo-gutting.”

“Maybe later. It will depend on Stiles’ state of mind. You return him in a decent state then I will see what I can concoct.”  
“It isn’t going to be a comfortable or happy conversation.” Chris tossed out a tidbit of information. “For any of them.”  
Max looked very thoughtful. “Then when you return him you may provide me a listing of those that need comfort food. I will be more than happy to assist.”  
Chris nodded his acceptance. 

“Help yourselves to anything on my counter. As long as it includes vegetables and or fruit. Pie does not count as a fruit serving.” 

Chris handed Stiles a plate. He loaded his up and waited for Stiles to stop staring at Max. Finally Max took the plate away from Stiles and filled it himself. He handed it back to the boy. “We will talk later. I will make you something special.” 

“Somehow. For once that doesn’t make me feel any better.” Stiles muttered as he followed Chris up to the second floor. “Not any better at all.” 

Dean looked at his boyfriend that hadn’t needed rescuing at all. “What the fuck was that?”  
“Pardon?”  
“The thing with the knife?”  
“Oh. I learned my cooking skills from Aunt Tory. She’s amazingly talented with all sorts of edged blades.” 

Dean looked at Etienne who was just standing there grinning. Melissa looked half admiring and half disturbed. Scott looked thoughtful and confused. He hadn’t been having the best of days. He kept rubbing his forehead but denied having a headache. Etienne had taken over the register. Scott was doing one task at a time for his mother. 

Mouse wandered over. “I want to be a mini-Max.”  
Max looked down at the top of her golden head. And sighed. “Unfortunately. That might actually be wise.”  
She smiled and gave him a surprise hug and then went back to the front to keep the trays filled. She would watch them sometimes like she expected the food to go poof. Perhaps in her world, it had.


	58. Chapter 58

Chris led Stiles to the Bookstore area of the Market Floor. 

There was a small table that was big enough to put a good meal on but small enough to encourage intimacy. Chris looked at Stiles. Really looked at him. 

Stiles had put his food down but made no attempt to start eating. 

He reminded Chris of a lonely, vulnerable little boy. Even though two people had gone to pains to warn him about being cruel to Stiles, he still seemed to feel alone. His plan of making Stiles squirm went down the drain. It would be cruel. Not funny but mean. Not the kind of person he wanted to be. So. 

“I doubt that you ever joined the Coven in any of their rituals. Did you make a study of any of them? Did Teyla ever teach you or at least introduce you to group or individual rituals?”

Stiles looked blank. “Uh. I have studied some ritual. Mainly I worked alone. I don’t think that I would have ever been allowed to join the Coven. I don’t know of any other group.” Stiles struggled to put things into words. “Any other group out there for me to join. I mean. That I would want to join.”   
He began to poke at his food. 

“Dean killed it for you already. Go ahead and eat it.”  
“Not really hungry.”   
“Fine. Then we will just move ahead to the real appetite killer. In your studies, have you run across rituals of power gathering?”  
“A few. Teyla had a real aversion to teaching those.”  
“I would imagine she would. But still, you read. You study with other teachers and on your own. Have you encountered that virgins could be used to gain power?”

Stiles put his food back down. “Nasty or nice? Nasty is raping a virgin. The semi-good guys let them live. The assholes go ahead and go for all the virgin blood they can spill. Nice is when it is consensual.”  
“So you aren’t going to be surprised when I follow that up with the question of are you a virgin?”   
Stiles glared in answer. 

“If you are, you need to take care of it. Sorry, sometimes you just don’t get romance and rainbows. Allison was targeted for a reason and just maybe the fact that she might have been the easiest. Gauging power isn’t one of my strengths. But Scott is stronger than she is. Even with what has been done to him and yes I do realize that there is something going on with him. You are much stronger than Scott. You took out a full page advertisement on the fact when you raised the wards.”

“What else was I supposed to do?”  
“Don’t know. Do know that there is a weakness that we are going to have to find a work around with those wards. They are War Wards. Made for ‘fuck you I’m not coming out and I’ll kill you if you get close enough’. Not something that encourages the customers. I understand why you chose the ones you did. In the situation it was an excellent idea. You have the strongest wards you can manage, and let me say here if those aren’t your strongest, lie to me. But anyway, you have the strongest wards around already in place just waiting. You don’t have to stop and do a ritual when the shit storm is hitting. When time would be critical. But. War Wards. They keeps people and things out. But when they find their way it….” 

“I might be able to layer them more. Make the second and third floor wards nastier for anyone I don’t key in.” He thought. “That means that we would definitely be putting the second floor off limits as to the Market plan.”

“I don’t want a bunch of strangers wandering around my home at all hours. Your group has the strange covered. I don’t need any more. Figure it out and get it done.”   
“Fine. I’ll give it some thought. There are some people that I can contact.”   
“And your little virgin problem?”  
“Are you offering?” Stiles eyes had a tinge of amber. 

Chris leaned closer. “If I was? Would it make it easier? I doubt it. I am thinking Dean or Max. Or both would be your best bet. They would be happy to take care of you. Max is protective. You got a firsthand demonstration of that. You can mention it to them. Or I will. Your call.”  
“That’s not much of a choice.”  
“Sometimes you get to chose between utterly shitty and just plain crappy. Not like you haven’t been there before. Besides, this should make you feel better.”  
“What could possibly make me feel better about this?”  
“I get to have this wonderful conversation with Allison. I’m sticking Melissa with talking to Scott, Mouse and Lydia. Lylith is going to be caught up with my suspicions and can deal with it however she wants.” 

Stiles face froze. He seemed to be watching some internal movie. Then he started to smile and snicker. He continued as he picked up his sandwich and started to eat. 

When Chris got his ‘good boy’ reward from Max. They were going to have a talk about Stiles and just how far Max was willing to go to protect him. Chris was betting pretty damn far.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

Chris watched Stiles scamper back down the stairs. Relieved to have the conversation over. They had both found it … embarrassing and tense.

Chris was leaning his face into his hands when he heard the scrape of a foot against the top step. He looked up to see Max and oddly enough Sam dressed in sweats. 

Max walked over with Sam trailing behind. He put a bowl of something before Chris. “Yes, it was rude and cheating. I had Sam listen in. I had the suspicion that you wouldn’t want to repeat the conversations twice.” 

Chris poked at the whatever in the bowl. 

“Just try it. I think you will like it. It may be the only thing that you do like about today.”   
Chris nodded and took a spoonful. It was good. Like ‘make a sucky day better’ good. 

Max just leaned back and stared at the table top thoughtfully. “I can take care of his little problem. One of them. Dean will assist. He is attracted to Stiles. There are some issues I suspect we will have to work through. Then there are my suspicions. Which is why Sam is here. Now would be a good time to mention whom I will be providing comfort food.” 

“Stiles, Scott, Allison, Lydia, Mouse and Morgana. Those are the ones that need…warning..protection. To at least know what I have the sick feeling might be happening.” 

Max rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb. It was a surprisingly sensual gesture that Chris had never seen out of him before. “I’m an outsider. Sometimes people from the outside of a situation see things that others caught up in the middle don’t or can’t. There is something going on with Scott. Something is being triggered. I talked to both Stiles and Melissa. They seem to think that it is residual trauma of Scott being there when his father died. It was close to this time of year. I am seeing deterioration in the short time that I have been here in his memory and thinking. They assure me that it will come back to what it was when we first encountered each other after the turn of the year. I believe they are wrong.”

Chris put down his spoon. “You don’t think he will improve this time?”  
“I don’t think it will be typical this time. He is turning 21. That is a very powerful event. I suspect that forces are coming into play this year that might have been lying dormant. For a very long time. Stiles has never been in the store before with his Herbals. I am seeing effects from the amount that is both air-born and the access of the topical herbals that most of the employees didn’t have before. Stiles is supremely generous. It may blow up in his face and he won’t be alone at ground zero.”

Sam looked over in alarm. “Whoa. That’s…”   
“Study the facts. Do your research. You will have access and knowledge of the participants involved to a greater degree that I do. You have known them longer. Interacted with them more.”   
Sam looked thoughtful. “I’m not so sure that’s true. Most of the time I am in fur and just kind of there. There have been minimal interactions. There are new players. Brigid, Alex and even Allison. She never was at the store that much before. No. It’s more like a whole new cast of characters that I am having to learn all over again.” He looked at Chris. “Even you are changing.” 

“So where does that leave us?” Chris dipped his spoon in the bowl again. 

“On guard.” Max looked at Sam. “I will open the lines of communication with Stiles tonight. You and Dean need to have a brainstorming session. There is so much more going on here than some phallic waving by the Coven. Someone is ruthless in their ambitions. We don’t know who they are. Or what their ambitions are except they want power. How much do they already have? What can they bring to bear on our little group? Those are things we need to consider.” Max looked over at Chris. “Bringing all of the players in one place is an excellent idea. We need to assist Alex in finding the other living quarters and bring the last of our members into the fold. We don’t know how much time we have but I have the uneasy feeling that our time is short.” He stood and bowed slightly to Chris. “Take your time. Some things should be savored.” 

He walked away leaving Sam and Chris staring at each other. “He’s not what I would have thought from someone that made a living working at a gym.”  
“Chameleon. He and Brigid both remind me of a chameleon. Changing to suit the circumstances. Maybe this is closer to who they really are. I’m going to finish my treat. You get to look up rituals. See what you and Dean can come up with as protections. Tonight I get to have the ‘talk that should never be’ with my daughter and hope that she has taken care of the matter herself and is no longer a virgin. I may need a shoulder to cry on later. Hopefully Peter shows back up from his little fact finding spree.” 

Sam nodded. “Much happier with my part. Much easier. I’m never having kids.”   
“Life tends to surprise you. Foot to the face kind of surprises. I felt the same way till I turned 40. Then things began to change. I wouldn’t trade having Allison for anything. Even the really uncomfortable conversations.”  
Sam grunted. “Dean and I are in our 30s, we are still young yet. Most Wolfgard are like you and don’t start looking to get serious until they get well into their 40s. Finding someone that you could spend many, many decades with…not easy.”   
“No. It’s not. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right.”   
“I hear ya man. I so hear ya.” Sam got up and stripped and changed back into wolf. It was always funny to watch a Wolfgard drag his clothes after them like a wayward puppy into the laundry basket. Humor was good. Humor was very good. Crying gave him a headache. And whatever the glop was in the bowl was amazing. Guess he had been a good boy after all. He would take what he could get.


	59. Chapter 59

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edited to include Miss Kitty's photo. 
> 
> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/miss_kitty_bio.jpg>

Chris had a brief conversation with Melissa. She had helped Teyla enough that there were some things that she was familiar with. More so than she wanted to be. She just looked at him. Devastated and incensed at the news. “You think that my only child might be the target of a bunch of psychos running around in hoods and robes? Are you serious? Have you gotten confused about reality and fantasy and think that we are living in some Tinseltown movie?”

Chris winced. He hadn’t expected it to go well. This was a little worse than he was thinking. “Something is happening to him. You can’t ignore it or hope that it will go away. He is getting worse. You know he is Winterborne. That means more than just he was born in the dead of Winter. He will be turning 21 on the 21st of the month. You can’t think that all of this is a coincidence? Even I don’t have my head that far up my ass. If you really can’t face talking to him, I will do it. He is confused and struggling enough already. You have learned how to get him to understand when he gets like this. I haven’t. Your call.”

Melissa walked away. 

Chris nodded. He was on her shit list for the rest of this year and probably most of next. But she was going to talk to Scott. At least Max would still feed him. 

One down and one to go. Lylith. Well crap. He had pissed Melissa off before he could ask her to talk to Lydia and Mouse. Maybe Lylith? It was just going to be a shit day.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

It was impossible for testicles to retract all the way into your abdominal cavity. But they could certainly try. Lylith would make sure that Morgana was protected against a power grab by the Coven. If she was anything like her mother, they would grab her and then pay to have someone take her back. That had been…unpleasant. He would rather have Max pseudo-gut him to make a point. It had been less painful.

He was having Stiles kind of shit luck when it came to dealing with females today. By the time that he finished filling her in on his suspicions that some group was using virgins to gain power, she had been in no mood to do him any favors. He would have to talk to Mouse and Lydia himself. 

And Max had been so surprised when the Wolfgard had wondered WHY he thought it would be considered anything but a good idea about giving up dealing with females sexually from time to time and focusing on other males. Males that did not have hormone swings. Mood swings. Or tended to take a swing at them for no other reason than they were standing there. 

Even Peter, as unusual and quirky as he could be, was more predictable about what would set him off than some of the females in his life. Maybe he could have an all male staff? No. He wasn’t giving up Brigid. She was like a ray of sane. He would just have to suck it up and deal. Speaking of… the Terror Twins. 

He was going to dump some of this in Peter’s lap. It was more his area with the ritual and Craft and other crap. As soon as he got back. Peter was defiantly a big boy. There was no reason to be worried. No reason he could actually point to and not feel like a paranoid fool. 

He needed to go and check on Brigid. She was about the only female that wasn’t pissed at him for no other reason than he happened to pee standing. As far as he knew she wasn’t pissed at him. The way the day was going that could have changed as well.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

The conversation was going as well as his day so far.

“What is it that has you so worried?”  
“He kissed me.”  
“Congratulations. Your love life now officially sucks worse than mine if a kiss makes you worry.”  
“It was his ‘I am about to go and do something really stupid and dangerous’ kiss.”  
Brigid looked at him. “I’m not sure which kind of boggles my mind more. The fact that you name his kisses or that he does stupid and dangerous things enough that you can tell?”  
“Flip a coin. It’s generally what I do when there are two things about him that are driving me nuts.” 

Chris tried to get the conversation back on track. The track HE was trying to go down anyway. “What did he say?”  
“You realize while my memory may not be as bad as Scott’s right now I certainly don’t have perfect recall.”  
“Guess? You have a decent memory. What were the two of you talking about?”  
“I would say that he was planning to go and find out more information. Probably in books or in person. Those would be the two best options I would think.”  
“He give you any clues as to where and who?”

Brigid leaned back and gave Chris the Eye of ‘where did YOU set your brain down today’. “You have been not-dating him for how long? Of course, he just divulges every little plan and idea he has. Why didn’t I think of that!”  
“You aren’t making this easy.” 

“You know supposedly there are no such things as stupid questions. However there are questions that should be thought about before being asked.” Brigid sighed. “Who in his family does he talk about? Who does he spend time with? Who does he consider a good source of information? Does he even like many or even any of them? I know I’m not fond of mine and consider them less than useless for anything. Is he in the same position? You have a few years of data to make guesses and theories from. Soooo?”

“He gets information from his Grandfather. When it isn’t any exercise in frustration and futility.”  
“Sounds like some of the conversations I’ve had with my relatives. Way back when we were still speaking. No great loss when they decided to cut me out of their lives. Yes. He did happen to mention his Grandfather and the journal he had been given. It supposedly held some clues. It would have been nice if Grandpappy had bothered with the Cheat Notes edition or some suggestions. Of course, maybe the man is getting forgetful and didn’t know much of anything. Didn’t want to admit he was as much in the dark as everyone else. Had to play the mysterious old sage crap. Wouldn’t know. Never met him.” 

“Grandpappy?” Chris’ voice was strong, even in the upper tenor range. 

Brigid eyed Chris. “Out of all of that…you fixated on Grandpappy? Really?”  
Chris sputtered.  
“Oh fine then. Most Honored and Esteemed Grandfather. There. That better?”

Chris backed away. “Max still loves me. I’m going to go and get chocolate. I will bring you some. While I am gone please look for your sanity. I think it has slipped out back for a smoke. Back in a few.”

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There was nothing like ending the business day with screaming hysterics.

Chris just about came out of skin when the woman ran in babbling. She grabbed the first person she could lay her hands on. A Wolfgard. He was so shocked and surprised she managed to drag him outside. He came back in very rapidly and move to Stiles. “Hale. Broken. Lots of blood. Unconscious. Not good. Very not good.” 

Stiles stood there actually blinking in shock for a few seconds before he started moving. “Morgana. Get your mother here. It’s not like I have a lot of experience treating Sanguinati. And crap. He’s going to need blood if he’s losing it. I think a good number of you might want to find somewhere else to be.” 

The customers took him at his word. The store emptied in record time. When Sam, Dean and Stiles went to move Peter inside the store, it was empty except for the employees. The Café had emptied out too. 

They ran into a slight problem with the wards for some reason. Stiles checked Peter over but he was sure it was Peter. He relaxed them and they got him inside in the light. Dean tripped over something. But when he looked he didn’t see anything but the rug in front of the door. 

Alex was the one that spotted the creature drop out from under Peter’s coat and scuttle away. It was small and dark. It kind of looked like a cat. He was curious. He was scared about Peter but his Momma was there. Stiles and Lylith were there. She came in like whoa again. He was kind of glad she was going to be next door instead of always in the same store with them. 

They knew what they were doing and it would be fine. They could fix anything. 

He wondered if Peter had decided to get a pet. He hadn’t seen any pet stores in the Courtyard but that didn’t mean much. There were a number of places that they had never gone. Peter would be upset if his kitty got lost. He was hurt. Worry was not good when you were hurting. Alex could remember from before. He used to hurt a lot before he came here.  
He would just ease over and get Peter’s kitty. It was right there under the shelf. “Fuck!” Alex winced and looked around. Good! No one had heard him slip up and use a Chris/Stiles’ word. His hand hurt. The kitty had bit him good. Or really that should be bit him bad. It was bleeding. And it kind of throbbed. 

Alex cradled his hand close and tried not to cry. It freaking hurt. A movement caught his eye. The kitty was creeping out now. Wow. It was one of those hairless things that the rich women back home bought. The one’s that Momma said had more money than taste. It was u.g.l.y. Poor thing, he’d bite someone if he looked like that too. Maybe the Sewing Club could make it a sweater. 

It hopped up in his lap, which didn’t thrill him, and put its paw on his wrist. It was a weird sound. Kind of a rock-grinder purr. It licked his hand. Alex watched in surprise as his owie stopped hurting and bleeding. It curled up in his lap still purring. Alex started to see if it was a boy kitty or a girl kitty. From the offended look the kitty gave him he decided it was a girl. Yeah. Bites when startled. It was female. 

He picked up a scarf that had been dropped when the people decided that they would let Stiles handle the crisis and stay out of his way. Alex put it around Kitty so she wouldn’t get cold. They watched as Stiles working on making Peter better. It was kind of scary. He was glad he had Miss Kitty to hold. 

Lylith was being cranky at Stiles again. 

He had helped Stiles and knew how to read the pictures. He could find the MoonTime stuff that Stiles gave the girls. He was going to go downstairs and get Lylith a basket for today. She obviously needed to not worry about using it up. She didn’t use enough last night. Kind of how Momma would do with that cream she liked when they used to live back there. 

If she didn’t get better soon, then maybe they needed to talk about her keeping her PMSs at her place and not bringing them with her if they were making her so cranky. He’d never seen the PMSs but he had heard all about them from the boyos as Stiles sometimes called them. It was like their own super secret club name. They knew lots of stuff. Boyo stuff. 

Well crackers, Lylith and Stiles were doing the side eye thing. They didn’t need him and she sure needed that MoonTime stuff. He would just help out by going downstairs to the Cavern and get her a basket. He would take Miss Kitty with him. So she wouldn’t be scared. She could help him look. He knew where it was but it was good to let other people feel like they were being helpful. Let them help you do what ever then when they were finished and went away you could go back and do what you were doing in the first place. He learned that one from Dean. Dean gave really good female advice. 

Stiles go hit by girls too much for his advice to be that good. Lydia and Allison were always wacking him. Alex blinked. They were better. The ‘Come to Mother Night’ conversation that Lylith and Chris had with them worked good. Maybe someone needed to have that conversation with Lylith. He’d have to think about that…ohhhhhh. AuntTory. She would be perfect. He would talk to her about it the next time he saw her. He would get her something while he was down there. It worked good to sweeten them up before you asked them to do something for you. Even if they said no they didn’t tend to be as pissy. Dean was going to be his ‘go to’ person for advice.  
Alex got up carefully. “Come on Miss Kitty. We need to go downstairs to Stiles’ Cavern and get some stuff. You can go with me so you don’t have to stay up here all by yourself. I’m going to go and get Lylith some ‘chill out bitch’. That’s what Dean calls the MoonTime stuff. Did you see her cranky face Stiles? Stiles knows lots. I don’t think she knows as much as she thinks she does. She uses cranky face too much when people ask her questions. I’ll let you in on a secret. That usually means people don’t know the answer but don’t want to admit that they don’t know. Which is just stupid. How else are you supposed to learn?” 

He made sure the scarf was comfortable. “There. Wait till you see Stiles’ Cavern. OH! Don’t let me forget to get something for AuntTory. I’m going to ask her to have a ‘come to Mother Night’ talk with Lylith. She needs something really special for that. I wonder what would work well for a dealing with cranky people present?” 

Alex continued to chatter as he took ‘Miss Kitty’ downstairs with him. No one had ever told him that Others don’t keep animals as pets. He had no idea what he had just picked up and was carrying around with him. The creature had been meant for Peter. Along with the journals that somehow found their way inside after the wards had been dropped. That and the Kitty were too Dark to be allowed in otherwise. 

Grandfather watched through the window. It had worked even better than he had planned. The human child would take good care of the creature and inspire it to protect its food source. Until it was no longer needed. But that would be a couple of decades. 

He strolled away pleased with his plans. Peter wouldn’t be pleased but he would get over it. He always had before. This time would be no exception.


	60. Chapter 60

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edited to include link for Grandfather  
> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/grandfather_bio.jpg>

There was nothing like ending the business day with screaming hysterics.

Stiles just about cleared the counter when he heard the scream. The only thing that stopped him was that he wasn’t sure of which way to go. His attention focused on the front doors where a very panicked woman exploded inside. 

She grabbed the first person she could lay her hands on. A Wolfgard. He was so shocked and surprised she managed to drag him outside. He came back in very rapidly and moved to Stiles. “Hale. Broken. Lots of blood. Unconscious. Not good. Very not good.” 

Stiles stood there actually blinking in shock for a few seconds before he started moving. “Morgana. Get your mother here. It’s not like I have a lot of experience treating Sanguinati. And crap. He’s going to need blood if he’s losing it. I think a good number of you might want to find somewhere else to be.” 

The customers took him at his word. The store emptied in record time. When Sam, Dean and Stiles went to move Peter inside the store, it was empty except for the employees. The Café had emptied out too. 

Someone came up with a canvas drop-cloth from somewhere. Chris didn’t even ask. 

They got Peter on the drop-cloth and started to bring him inside. The War Wards flashed at them before they could enter. “What the fuck?” Stiles quickly patted Peter down. “Nothing that I can see. Might be the blood. Wait.” He laid a bloody hand on the building and the black flames covered it. They retreated and Stiles told Sam and Dean. “Try it now.” They were able to pass.  
Dean tripped over something at the doorway. But when he looked he didn’t see anything but the rug in front of the door.

They laid him in the wide open section in the middle in the best light and got out of the way. 

Brigid came up with a wide flat pan and washcloth to try to see what of the blood was Peter’s and what was still bleeding. They got him cleaned up. He was slowly healing as they watched. Slowly. “That’s amazing!” 

“Yeah, and it costs. He is burning through blood energy at an incredible rate. He will start craving more to finish healing. Something chewed him up and spit him out. This is survival mode.” Stiles looked around for inspiration. “That’s about all I know. Teyla never worked with the Sanguinati. I did very little study about them on my own. It wasn’t like I could get my hands on any thing to study. I do know that he will need blood.”

“Lock him in a room and ward it. Contact the Hales to come and get him. They are set up to take care of his needs.” Lylith was regarding Peter with a tight expression. 

“It’ s night. It isn’t like they have a phone at home. You aren’t going to be able to get anyone till morning when they go to their offices. It’s not like we can walk up to the house and knock either. That’s not going to work. He’s going to be in agony as his system tries to heal with no reserves. That works just like Wolfgard.” 

“He will survive. Pain won’t kill him. Feeding a feral Sanguinati might kill one of us. You need to secure him in some sort of room. I am sure there is something next door that the Coven arranged. Contact Teyla.”

“She’s not here to contact. She gave a forwarding address for the payment from Chris and left already. The Coven did their song and dance. So sorry. Working on their own. Not our fault. Excuses, excuses and more bullshit. I missed the performance on purpose. She was done after that. Whatever is left next door she chose not to take with her. If you are talking about that cage, oh fuck no. I’m not treating him like some kind of animal.”

“In a feral state he is no better than an animal.” Lylith was getting a bit warm on the subject.  
That got a guttural growl from the Wolfgard in the room. Of which there were a surprising number.  
Lylith paled slightly but didn’t back down. “You aren’t going to be able to put blood in a cup and get him to drink. He will wake and will know nothing but the need to feed. From the vein. Secure him and contact the Hales.” 

“He will drink if he’s out of it. You can prop him up so he won’t choke, use a dropper and get some in his mouth. He will swallow.” 

“He will wake and turn to the nearest source of blood. Do you actually think that you are stronger than a vampire that is intent on feeding, little boy?”

“Maybe not alone. But I’m not the only one in the room. I am sure that I’m also not the only one that isn’t willing to stand aside and allow him to suffer needlessly.” 

Chris put his hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “I’ll do it. He does know me. You can’t. It will create a bond between the two of you. One that can’t be broken except in death. I can live and die with that bond. I already do.” 

Stiles gave Lylith one last ‘fuck you’ glare and shifted to face Chris. “He’s going to need a lot of blood. More than it would be possible for one person even with Wolfgard healing. It would take you to the edge and you have Allison to think about. I am a healer. I can do this. Healers don’t bond.”

Chris’ lips twisted faintly. “No Stiles. You aren’t a Healer.”  
Stiles rocked back as if Chris had slapped him.  
Chris continued. He nodded toward Lylith. “She is a Healer. She can walk away. Teyla may have tried to teach you to be a Healer. She may have taught you healing skills. She would never be able to teach you to walk away from someone that needs you. You can’t. It’s not in your nature. What you can do…is walk TO someone that needs you more. You would bond with Peter. Right now there is no one that needs you more.” 

Stiles opened his mouth.  
Brigid interrupted. “Chris is right. About one thing. You can’t walk away from someone, that despite everything, you like. But, you are not thinking outside the box. There is no reason that all the blood has to come from one person.”  
The room looked at her. Shocked and startled. 

“It may be a bitch to get him to let go but I just bet that there is no rule that says all the blood comes from one person. It’s always been done that way just means that no one bothered to find something different because it didn’t inconvenience or involve them. I’m willing to give blood as well. No not as much as you can but I can give. I count him as my brother. I’m not willing to let my brother suffer if I can help him.” 

“Well fuck.” Dean side-eyed Brigid. “Just can’t be out ‘man-uped’ by a girl. I’m in.” Her poke in his ribs was met by a grin.  
“As am I.” Max added softly. 

Scott looked at Peter. “It won’t hurt me any more than I’m already fucked up. Maybe it will even help. I need to go before Stiles. He knows the most and if he’s out we are in deep shit.” 

Lylith spoke up. “Stiles does not know the most about Sanguinati. This is foolishness. You will tie yourselves to him and be at his back and call. I will be no part of such a farce. Contact the Hales. You can call and leave a message. They are bright enough to have someone that will eventually answer in case of emergency. I will be no part of this. I do know when to walk away. Morgana. Attend.”

“No.” It was hard to say who in the room was more shocked. Lylith was high on the list but she wasn’t the only one.  
“You will do as I say.”  
Morgana looked at her ice-blue to glacial-blue. “No. I have a room here. I have a job to earn what I need. Even if I didn’t, Stiles would make sure that I was warm, safe and fed. Max would split his last crust of bread with me. Dean and Sam would stand before me to protect me. The others would be standing with them. My answer is ‘No’. You may put my things outside your door in the morning. Or tonight if you are feeling that shitty. I know now where I want to stand. And it is no longer with you.” 

“You would defy me? Over Peter Hale?”  
“No.”  
Lylith wasn’t the only one that was confused.  
“I would defy you over Stiles. I would defy you that using cold logic is always the best choice. That not getting involved is wise. That using your heart to make decisions is foolishness. I have worked with Stiles for several years. No, I was never officially his apprentice. He was never officially my mentor. Official. A piece of paper. A dry formal ritual. They don’t bond people together. People bond themselves to each other and choose every day to strengthen the bond. 

Your way of seeing the world and those in it will never work for Stiles in the long view of his life. You walk away. He walks to. I am staying here. If you need to say the words to soothe your hurt and anger then say them. That I am no longer your daughter. Perhaps I am more my father’s daughter. Whoever he was. But I do know where I will stand. And it is not beside you. I choose another. I stand with Stiles.” 

The air was thick with tension and power. “Good thing I didn’t finish that contract. Now the offer to rent the building next door is off the table. I’m sure you understand why.” Chris looked at her. 

The doors to the building opened behind her. Untouched by any visible hand. “Your choice. Walk away.”  
There was power in Stiles voice now as he faced her. Power that backed the words that implied that if she didn’t….

Lylith looked at her daughter one last time. Pulled on her dark cloak and walked out the doors.  
Doors that shut and flared with black flames behind her as Stiles raised the Wards. 

“That went well.” Lydia sighed. 

Brigid took over. “I don’t want to do this here. In front of the windows where some gawker could stand out there and watch. Can we move to the back?”  
Etienne, Dean, Scott and Sam picked a corner of the canvas and picked Peter up and followed her to the kitchen. She directed them to put him on the couch. 

Stiles looked at Chris. “He ever fed from you? Got any idea of what to expect?”  
“Once when we were much younger. It didn’t go that well. You get all sorts of emotions and images. It’s overwhelming if you aren’t expecting it. It was sensual and sexual for us. We found out later that part of the experience has to do with the existing relationship between the participants.” Chris sighed. “I do understand her concerns. A part of me agrees this isn’t the brightest of ideas. He’s going to be pretty much running on instinct. That is going to be very different than if he was conscious and more in control. It is going to be rough. This is Peter stripped down to the core. It isn’t always a pretty place.” 

The others nodded. They knew about being stripped down to the core by life.  
“I’ll go first. He is the most familiar with me. That should make the rest easier.”  
Etienne waved his hand. “Second.”  
Sam held up his hand. “I’m third.”  
“None of you have to do this. It might be pretty brutal as my body recovers but I can survive him feeding on me alone.” Chris looked at the people standing around the couch.  
“He means something to you. You mean something to us. We’ll help.” Etienne was a man of few words.  
Chris nodded. To do anything else would be an insult. “Fine. Brigid last.”  
Dean stepped beside Sam. “Fourth.”  
Max stood beside Dean. “Fifth.”  
Scott moved to beside Max. 

Chris looked at him. “You sure?”  
“Of this? Yes. Other things? Not so much.”  
Stiles took his place beside Scott with a stubborn look.  
Morgana took her place. At Stiles’ side. 

There was a moment of humor as Lydia and Allison did rock, paper, scissors to see who was next. It was Lydia then Allison. Lydia won. That meant more to Chris that he could express. 

Melissa started to move next to Allison. Mouse squeezed in. “They will need food. Max is higher. It will be your task.” Melissa gave way and stood next to Mouse.  
“That leaves me.” Brigid suddenly looked panicked. “Where is Alex?”

“Here.” He was in the hallway. “I guess she didn’t need the ‘chill out bitch’ after all. Miss Kitty and I went and got her some.” He looked at Stiles. “I was going to ask before I gave it to her. I got AuntTory something too. I was going to ask her to have a ‘Come to Mother Night’ talk with Lylith. Her ‘tude needs ‘justing. I think.” He looked at Dean for confirmation.  
Dean who was slowly turning pink. It was 50/50 if it was from holding back laughter or embarrassment at getting quoted. “Yeah little dude. Her attitude needs adjusting.”  
Alex nodded gravely. “Maybe we should just give her the ‘chill out bitch’ I brought up for her and tell her that she can’t come to play anymore until she is sure that she can leave her PMSs home and play nice.” 

Dean was turning redder as he made strangling noises.  
Brigid was looking at him as she asked her son. “And you heard those pearls of wisdom from?”  
“Dean.”  
Dean closed his eyes and dropped his head. His life was now officially in the shitter. 

“If Stiles agrees?” She looked at Stiles who had his face pressed into Scott’s shoulder. He nodded frantically. It didn’t matter what he was agreeing to at this point. “We will send her the basket and message. I am sure Dean will be thrilled to deliver it.” 

Alex looked doubtful. “He doesn’t like her much to want to give her things. Maybe if she was nicer?”  
“We will discuss this later. We need to take care of Peter right now. ‘Come to Mother Night’ will wait.” Brigid looked at Dean as she spoke. Dean did not look at Brigid. Neither did any standing male in the room.  
Alex looked at his mother. “I will stay right here and not move.” 

Chris started. He knelt by the couch and sliced open his wrist. With the scalpel Stiles handed him before he could use his claws. “Seriously? I’m about to feed a Sanguinati and your worried about a few germs and dirt?”  
Stiles rolled his eyes and went back to his place in the line. 

Chris rubbed his wrist against Peter’s lips. It didn’t take him long to latch on. It brought tears to Chris’ eyes. The feeding was hard and fast. “Oh shit” pretty much summed up everybody’s thoughts. 

Etienne tried to get Peter to release his grip on Chris to accept his bleeding wrist. It was a struggle. Peter was strong and had a good grip on Chris’ arm. They tried to pry his fingers loose with no effect. It was getting a bit tense in the room and a hint of panic was creeping in. 

Brigid walked behind the couch and reached over. She calmly grabbed hold of Peter’s nipple through his ripped shirt and gave it a firm twist. He yelped and flailed allowing Sam to pull Chris away. Etienne took his place. 

Peter was still not totally present but he was less aggressive in his feeding. Etienne’s size and Beargard nature helped. He could give a good deal of blood before he began to feel the effects.  
Etienne nodded to Brigid who performed Brigid’s Boobie Twist on Peter. It worked equally as well the second time. 

Sam, Dean and Max had it much easier. From the dazed expression on their faces it was an … interesting experience. 

They were totally unprepared for Scott’s turn. It seemed to go well then it all went to hell. He went into seizures. Admittedly mild but highly upsetting. Stiles got him settled and turned to see that Morgana had taken his place. Both she and Peter were shivering slightly. She touched his face and he let her go. 

Allison and Mouse were brief and almost tender.  
Melissa had a most surprised expression on her face. Right before the tears started down her face. She waved them away. She touched his face and excused herself to wash her hands and go to the kitchen. Brigid looked at her in concern. Melissa said one word. “Jager.” 

Stiles looked at Scott. “Oh. Oh well. Fuck.” 

Brigid had Chris cut her wrist and put it against Peter’s lips. They both winced. He only took a few pulls and licked her wrist healed.  
Peter’s eyes opened. “Sunshine. It’s like mainlining sunshine.”  
Brigid looked at him in confusion.  
“Vampire here.” He sat up carefully. Looked around. “What the fuck happened?”

Chris sat beside him. Close beside him. “Something chewed you up and spit you out. Where did you go and what did you do? You idiot.” 

Peter managed to sit on the couch with a bit of help. He looked down at himself. “Well damn. This was one of my favorite shirts.”  
“It gets worse.” Chris told him.  
“What?”  
“The leather coat?”Chris paused for effect. “Your swishy leather coat that you posture in? Gonner.” 

Peter managed a glare. “Someone help me up. I need a shower and a change of clothes. We all need to eat. We will talk after that.” 

Dean went and grabbed a set of sweats. He had taken to keeping a number downstairs. He handed them to Peter who glared Chris into submission. “I can stand in the shower. If you absolutely have to you can keep me company. But I can clean myself.”  
Chris just shrugged. “We’ll see.” 

The others drifted toward the kitchen. Brigid was behind them. Herding them that way. “You need to sit. I’ll see if Melissa needs any help. Why don’t you grab a jacket as we pass by the jacket tree. I’m sure no one will mind. Keep going. No. You do not need to look at anything Stiles. Keep going Scott. You can lay down when we get to your Momma. That’s it. Keep moving.” Brigid sighed and muttered. “I wonder if I can order a whip on-line? Keep moving… fwaa-pow! Keep. Moving. Forward. Do not stop. Do not look. Do not pick things up. Do not try to leave the herd. Or pack actually. Fwaaa-POW! I am definitely going to look tomorrow. A nice little stock-whip.” 

Alex trailed behind his mother holding Miss Kitty. “She’s got that gleam in her eye. If Stiles tries to break out of line one more time she just might do more than nip at his heels. You gotta watch her when she gets like that. She’s kinda scary.”  
Miss Kitty seemed to study Brigid thoughtfully. Alex was pleased when she licked his hand and purred in agreement. 

She did get them into the Café. Food was sounding really good and something hot to drink. Everyone was feeling a chill. Winter was in the air. It was close.


	61. Chapter 61

Brigid had them pull tables together and sit. She helped Melissa who was warming up a thick, rich soup Chris had showed her how to make earlier.

It was a very quiet group that Chris and Peter joined. Brigid put two bowls for them on the table and sat to finish her soup. Scott was drinking his more than eating. His elbows were on the table to brace his hands. He seemed to be recovering. Still shaky but recovering better than anyone had expected. 

Brigid waited till all of the bowls were empty. “Bring me up to speed on what the heck happened. Let’s start with Teyla left? Just folded tent and vanished in the night kind of left?”

Stiles ran his finger along the top of the heavy ceramic bowl. “She did say good-bye. Pretty much everything that needed or should be said was… it was over. No need to prolong the pain of separation. She did and does care. This is just not her place. It’s mine. Her part in my life is done. Sometimes that’s just the way it goes.” 

“She arranged that I would get a third of the payment for the work that I had done for the store. That and the suck-up money that the Coven came up with…” He looked over at Chris. “I don’t know if I want to. I can probably afford to put down money to buy the store. It looks like I am going to have to look into some sort of curse breaking. Lylith was a surprise but not. I know she can be kind of … But I thought that she would have worked out better. We worked together fine till this point. I don’t know what happened.”

He looked at Morgana then looked at Chris. “That kind of puts a real crimp in the plans to do something with the Herb Store. I’m sorry.” 

Chris shrugged. “I was willing to let it sit before you came up with Lylith. I am willing to let it sit now that she is out of the picture.” 

“Yeah, but it gives me the creeps just sitting over there festering. I know who to call to get help. For the cleaning. I just don’t want to be the one that everyone is looking at. I don’t want to be over there just me and Morgana.”

Alex spoke up. “AuntTory. She’s bored. She has the Minions. I bet if you asked her she would be glad to help. You realize her helping is more like taking over, don’t you?”

Max almost fell out of his seat laughing.   
Dean looked at him. Slightly alarmed.  
“A child. Alex is still very much a child and he sees her so clearly. Much better than most of the adults that deal with her. Yes. AuntTory is very bored and that tends to be very dangerous. She would do better if we kept her occupied. Why don’t you discuss it with her? I am sure she is going to turn up after the rumors start flying. I’ll trade special treats for Stiles to pay him back for the suck-up basket.” He turned to Stiles. “Fair enough?”

Stiles opened his mouth..thought…closed it. He leaned back in his chair and studied Max. “I am thinking that AuntTory is much more than she appears. She handled the Others incredibly well that first day. Better than any human that had little to do with a Courtyard should have been able to manage. She would probably do just fine managing a store. I don’t want to any more. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of being responsible. I am sick of dealing with crap. I just want to do the work, help people and not have to play games or politics. I suck at it.”

Max nodded. “She is not only adept; she thrives on it. She is equally skilled at both holding the spotlight and disappearing from notice. It has been years since she has been able to play a bold, public role. I think she would pay you to be allowed the opportunity to get into the game.” 

Stiles frowned. “Game? I don’t think it’s exactly a game.”  
“And that’s why you aren’t suited to walking away. Politics is a game of chess played with people as pawns. She is a skilled Chess Master that takes great care of her pieces.”

Stiles still looked troubled.   
“Stiles. We each have different roles to play. Focus on doing the best possible in the part you have been given to play. Do not try to take on another’s role. It does you both a disservice.”   
Stiles nodded. Hesitantly. 

Brigid studied them both. “Okay. Teyla gone. Lylith gone. AuntTory in.” She tilted her head and squinted at some picture only she could see. “I have to admit. I like AuntTory much better than I did either of them.” She winced and looked over at Morgana. Who just shrugged.   
“She is my mother. You love your mother. You may not like her much but you still love her.”  
“Thank you for pulling my foot out of my mouth.”  
Morgana nodded graciously with a gleam of mischief in her eyes. “You can thank me with something delicious you coax Max into making.”   
Brigid rolled her eyes but nodded. 

Brigid studied Peter. “So. Chris knows you pretty well. He predicted that stupid and dangerous. Who did you go and visit? Grandpappy?”

There was choking around the table. Peter’s jaw just dropped and stayed there for several seconds. “What did you call him?”

“She calls him Grandpappy. That seems to be her default name since she is quite irritated at a man she has never met. Most Honored and Esteemed Grandfather under duress. But it just drips sarcasm and snark. Grandpappy is actually a nicer version of how she refers to him.” 

Peter nodded slowly. “Oh-kay.” He shook himself. “Yes. I went to see Grandfather.”  
“Aaand?”   
Peter frowned. Which turned into a scowl. “Not a damn thing. I don’t remember. We talked. The usual blah, blah, blah. Then… nothing.” 

“Something must have happened. You came back looking pretty chewed up.”  
“Nothing. It’s all just kind of a blank.”

“You came back with Miss Kitty.” Alex walked over and showed Peter the fleece wrapped animal.   
“Holy fucking shit.” Peter cleared the chair backward. His eyes were very wide. “Alexander. Please put that..please put Miss Kitty down.” 

“Okay.” Alex put the creature on the floor. She promptly sat on his foot and wrapped both forelegs around his calf. Looked at Peter and started to purr. 

Peter slowly lowered himself to the floor. And just sat there.   
Alex looked as confused as the rest of the room felt. “Peter? Are you feeling alright? You look kind of…funny?”  
“Alex. How long have you been carrying Miss Kitty around?”  
“Since she got scared when you were carried in.”  
“How did you know she was scared?”

Alex gave Peter a ‘are you seriously asking me this’ look. “Hiding under the shelf is generally a sign that something is scared.”   
“What did you do?”  
“I went over to get her.”  
“What did she do?”  
Alex winced. “She kinda got pissy when I reached under the shelf to get her. I didn’t know she was a girl. I would have done more coaxing and less just reaching out and picking up if I had known she was a girl and not a boy cat. She did bite me but she was sorry and licked it better.”  
“She drew blood?”  
“Just a little.” 

Peter lay back on the floor. “Congratulations. You now have a familiar.” 

Stiles made a wheezing noise. Dean and Sam just got wide-eyed and got a tight grip on their spoons. Like that would actually help. Chris put his face in both hands. Brigid mentioned. “These are wonderfully reassuring reactions. Maybe some words to go along with the reactions. Might I inject that my child knows enough no-no words to have every other word be a swear word when he finally does grow tall enough to see over the half-door? It’s been a stressful day but I would greatly appreciate if none of you would add to his vocabulary.” 

“The thing…”  
“Miss Kitty.”   
Peter raised his head to look at Alex. Who looked back defiantly as he picked Miss Kitty back up. He swore to all the powers that be that the ugly thing stuck its tongue out at him.   
“She has a name and it’s not Thing.” 

Peter put his head back on the floor. Carefully. He made a waving ‘not dealing right now’ gesture toward Alex and ‘Miss Kitty’. “Fine. MISS KITTY is a creature of magic. Somehow she got stuck into that form. She may look like one but that is no cat. Alex gave her blood which bonded her to him. She will continue to feed on his blood energy to survive. She will be highly protective of him. You should be able to fill in the rest of the blanks.” He put his arm over his eyes. “This has just been a hell of a day.” 

Brigid looked at the thing in Alex’s arms. “Kitchen.”  
Alex nodded and walked with his mother into the kitchen to the refrigerator. 

Brigid pulled over a stool that the cashier sometimes sat on and put it near the fridge. “Max will not want you on his counters. It would be a really good idea not to push that rule. He’s very good with a blade so I’ve heard. Ask Chris for confirmation.” She looked at the head sticking out of the fleece. “Put her down on the stool and let’s get a look at her.” 

Alex placed the bundle on the stool and peeled the fleecie back. 

“Damn! Who did you piss off to get stuck in that form?”  
Miss Kitty could teach courses in ‘fuck you’ lift-lip.   
“Fuck you back. I have hair. I’m supposed to look like this. You. Are a bald cat. Give up the attitude.” Brigid walked around the stool. “Okay. Now I feel sorry for you. You need all the attitude you can manage. The Sewing Club will help. They do miracles in there. But in the meantime you need something to eat. No snacking on my son.”

Brigid opened the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of food storage containers. “I’m thinking meat.” 

Max leaned on the refrigerator door. “Try that one. It has some shredded chicken that I was going to try in an omelet.”  
Something that sounded like a chainsaw started up behind them.   
Max turned and looked at Miss Kitty. “Do I infer correctly that was a request for an omelet?”  
The chainsaw developed a choke problem that led it to stopping and starting.   
Brigid looked at the creature rather appalled. “Is she supposed to sound like that? Anyway. I would call that a ‘yes’.” 

Max took a couple of eggs out. A few more small containers of this and that and moved over to the stove on Melissa’s side. It took him no time to make an omelet. He broke it into quarters and put one quarter on a saucer. “You will need to provide your own dinnerware. This is most unsanitary.” He told Miss Kitty as he put the saucer on the wide stool. 

They watched as she sucked it down and looked up at him for more.   
“You manage not to puke that back up in the next five minutes and I’ll make you another.”   
Miss Kitty polished the saucer looking for crumbs. 

Max had handed Alex the rest of the omelet. He had put it on a low chair to eat. He still had trouble holding with his left hand while eating with his right. “She can have some of mine.” 

Miss Kitty sprang down with surprising grace and went over to Alex. He finished his quarter that he had been working on and put the plate down on the floor. 

“I’m seeing a lot of sanitizing in my future.”   
Brigid patted his arm. “Don’t think about it. Why do you think that Melissa had Stiles make up that special dishwashing stuff? It is supposed to kill pretty much anything but your skin. She had a pretty intense discussion the other day with a number of Wolfgard about licking the plate clean. It can ONLY be done in skin.” 

Max blinked at her. “Wait. Where was I during this discussion?”   
“In the back. Dean needed your help with something. He suckered you back there and she descended on the poor Wolfgard like an avenging fury. Though. When you did wander back to your counter, I really doubted that you would have cared what they did as long as it wasn’t naked dancing on the tables.”   
Max had a wonderful blush. It just bloomed over his face like some slow-motion rose documentary from Tinseltown.   
Brigid snickered. 

“I think the plate is clean now. I really don’t think it would be a good idea for you to eat any more. Your belly looks kind of…full.” Alex was regarding Miss Kitty with an expression of dismay and doubt. Her bulging stomach did nothing to add to her already unique looks. “I’ll get your fleecie and you can take a nap while we clean up. You really do need to be still and let your food go down. Puking that up would just be…nasty. Oh yuck. I think I just grossed myself out.” He put his hand over his mouth and hurried toward the bathroom. 

Brigid made to follow him.   
Max caught her. “Stiles has him.” Max tilted his head. “Crisis averted.”   
“Your hearing is pretty good. Isn’t it?”  
Max just kissed her forehead. “Dishes to wash. Stools to wipe. Get busy. Your child. Your…” He looked over at Miss Kitty who was studying something in the other room. “Pet.” 

“Well. Damn.”   
Miss Kitty and Max both looked at her. “Litter box.”   
Miss Kitty rose to her full impressive height of ‘not much’.   
“Don’t give me that look. Things go in; things go out. You ate. You poop. You get a litter box. Unless you can figure out how to use the toilet.” 

Miss Kitty looked thoughtful and then left the room.   
“Momma? Miss Kitty wants something.”   
“Open the bathroom door. See if she can figure out how to pee in the toilet. Otherwise you are on litter box duty.”

There was silence. “Do I need to get the cereal? Does Max have any of the aiming ring cereal?”   
Max put his hand over his mouth. Brigid put her hand over her face. “She’s a girl. She comes equipped with a better aim for some things.”  
“Oh. Okay. Come on Miss Kitty. I don’t think either of us want to deal with litter box poop bombs.” 

“Only ONE flush per bodily function. I don’t care how much fun it is to watch the water swirl. She runs up the water bill then she is going to have to get a job to pay for it.”  
“Momma? What kind of a job could she get? She’s a cat?”  
“That’s her problem. Don’t run up the water bill and she won’t have to figure it out. Be proactive not reactive.”

They could hear Alex muttering to Miss Kitty in the bathroom. Even Wolfgard hearing couldn’t quite make out all the words. ‘Momma.’ ‘Strange.’ ‘Female.’ ‘Weird.’ Did carry nicely though. 

Brigid quickly washed the saucer and plate and wiped down the counter, stool and chair. “There all set. Let’s go see how well toilet training is going.”   
Max offered her his arm. “This should be entertaining.” 

They took their seats at the table again. Alex was standing outside the bathroom leaning against the wall. Brigid looked at Stiles who had his hands over his mouth.   
“Miss Kitty doesn’t care for an audience.” There were breaks for muffled laughter in that sentence.   
“Okay. Can’t say I blame her.”   
“She bitched about the toilet seat being left up too. I had to go and clean the toilet before she would use it. Evidently boy pee…is toxic.” 

Brigid gave Stiles stink eye. “She’s right. Toilets are made of ceramic because that’s about the only thing it won’t eat through if left for days, weeks or even months the way some males clean the bathroom.” 

Stiles waved at her. “Every other day here thank you.”   
“Then you truly are a gem among men.” 

Stiles looked around the table.   
The other males had no comment.   
Mouse looked pained. “Dead grass. Pee grass. Everywhere around the Shacks.” She shuddered. “Don’t want a boy. Messy. Smelly. Ucky. Nope. Nope. Nope. No boys for Mouse.” 

Morgana’s shoulders started shaking and she lowered her head and allowed her long hair to cover her face. She did manage to get her amusement under control. “Supposedly they have qualities that make up for the messy and smelly.”   
Mouse looked at her with surprise and interest. “What?” 

“They come in handy for getting things off the high shelves.” Morgana contributed.  
“Ladder.” Mouse responded. 

“Opening jars.”  
“Grippie thing. Hot water helps too.”  
“Lifting and carrying.”   
“Smaller loads and a dolly.” 

Brigid’s face was in her arms on the table. There were snorting noises drifting up. 

“They are good hunters.”  
Mouse looked at her. “Sucky at finding. Mouse where is this? Mouse where did you put that? It doesn’t matter that Mouse never HAD it. Mouse is supposed to know. Mouse’s uterus is a magic finding device.” 

Melissa just lost it on that comment.   
Brigid nailed Mouse with a Momma look. “That did not originate out of your mouth. Where did you hear that?”   
“Mouse clean many places. Women with males talk. Loudly. More males; more talking about males.”

“Please. I’m begging you. Please just let that one go.” Stiles had both hands clutched tightly together with his most pleading expression. “There is no way it’s going to go well for any of us.” 

Mouse and Morgana went back to studying each other. Both had taken a side and were intent on defending it. Morgana looked like she was thinking she had taken the losing side. Then she brightened.   
“You’ve seen Sam naked? Right?” 

It was possible to forget how to breathe even after 30+ years of experience. Stiles and Dean were patting Sam on the back to get his lungs to work again. 

“Yesss?”   
“Some of them are awfully pretty.”

Sam caught his breath with a groan and put his head down on his arms on the table to recover.

Mouse looked thoughtful. “Some parts pretty. Some parts need ironed. All baggy and wrinkly.” 

“Done. I’m out.” Sam got up and left the room.

“And flappy.”   
“Huh?”  
“It just kind of hangs and flaps around.”   
“Oh. Well. Not always.” 

There was the sound of chairs being pushed back hastily. The males conceded the field. No matter what the outcome of the discussion was, they would not be the winners. 

Brigid looked at Morgana in admiration. “You sure know how to clear a room.”   
“You probably want to send Alex and Miss Kitty to follow them. They don’t or he doesn’t need to hear what Lylith talked to me about. We are going to need something strong to drink and chocolate for this.”  
“Who is we?”  
“It will involve all of us but Lydia, Allison, Mouse and I will need to make some decisions. I think that Max and Dean will take care of Scott along with Stiles.” 

“Oh fuck me now.” Melissa muttered.   
Morgana nodded. “Yep. That’s kind of the point of the talk we need to have.” 

The rest of the chairs pushed back as they went to raid Melissa’s stash. Sometimes choices were happy things; sometimes they were just necessary.


	62. Chapter 62

Morgana leaned back against the counter and stuck her spoon in the bowl of chocolate and ice cream. She looked around at the other females. “Eat up. You are going to want it for this conversation. I’m just going to drop the great news and then we can figure out how to deal.”

Morgana tilted her head. “None of you are going to be surprised to be told that there are assholes in the world. Chris doesn’t strike me as an alarmist. My mother definitely isn’t. They both agreed that there is a group that is looking to gain power the easy way. They don’t want to spend the time and effort to work for it. One easy way to gain power is through the spilling of blood. Virgin blood is especially powerful. There are some rites and rituals that are Grey because of the blood only. It is consensual and willing. There are some that are Dark because the virgin was coerced in some way. But they live. Then there are the sick, twisted bastards.” 

Mouse was rubbing her arms as if she was cold. Brigid pulled her close and put her arms around the girl.  
“Mouse knows. Mouse has seen. Mouse ran and ran and ran.” 

There was dead silence. 

“So. We need to take care of our little virgin problem.” 

Brigid was looking a little wide- and wild-eyed. “Uh. What exactly do you have in mind? I’ve had sex.” She made a face. 

Morgana nodded. “And evidently it was pretty lousy. If I have to give up my virginity to someone, I want something out of it.” 

Allison nodded. Lydia looked thoughtful. “I want a damn good time.” Mouse just shrugged from Brigid’s arms. “Over. Just over.” 

“I thought about Stiles and Scott who are in the same situation.” 

There was an odd noise from Melissa.

“I decided against it. There is one thing to be said for having a cold bitch for a mother. She is open to discussing most anything calmly and rationally. She pointed out it would be tense to have virgin sex with another person who doesn’t have a clue what to do or how to make it pleasurable. Plus the embarrassment of having to deal with them on a daily basis. So she had a suggestion that would work for a couple of objectives.” 

Brigid rested her head on the top of Mouse’s. “I just know this is going to make me cringe and I’m not even involved.” 

“Maybe. Maybe not. There rituals powered by sex you know.”  
Brigid gave Morgana an effectively evil look for bring it up. “No.”  
“Hear me out. I know how to contact him, which is great since mother and I aren’t exactly on the best of terms right now. I really hope the walk home calmed her down and all my shit isn’t sitting out in the yard. But I digress. I know someone. He is very good at what he does in a number of ways. I thought about it and he is going to be the one that I have take care of my little V-problem."

She let them think over that and then continued with the rest of her suggestion. "Then we could have him take care of the rest of you. THAT power gain would more than pay for him ripping up and out what the Coven and/or whoever else did at the Herb Store and send it back to them hemorrhoid style.”

Brigid just moaned and lowered her face back to Mouse’s hair.

“He’s good looking, highly skilled and freaking powerful. Plus he kinda loathes people who do things like the virgin breaking. He takes it personal. Never asked. Not going to. But he takes it REAL personal. He will help.” 

Allison looked at the other girls. “I don’t have anything better to offer. Yeah, not what I dreamed of but… I don’t think I could face anyone here if I had to ask them to take care of my V-problem. It would solve one problem and cause lots more. I’m in. Contact him for me too.” 

Mouse just waved at her. “Him have a dick. Him will be quick.”  
Melissa sputtered into laughter. “Oh my darlings. Some of you are in for such a surprise. Some males actually not only know how to pleasure a woman but dedicate time and effort into doing so. If he’s any good at all, it won’t be quick.”  
The rest of the room just looked at her.  
“Fine. I’m declaring girl’s night. Tidy up down here and then we can all go to my place and spoil ourselves with the tote that Stiles kindly stuck outside my door sometime today. It was worth an almost broken toe to find it. Oh. Brigid. We need to get you off that foot. What were you thinking?” 

“Panic. Fear. Ohholyshit. And a few more things. My foot didn’t even make the list. It does freaking hurt now that you mentioned it. Thanks ever so!”

Melissa launched into action. Dishes were cleaned and they were herded to the elevator in the back. “Upstairs. Spoiling awaits. Come on get moving. You are making me feel like one of those herding animals.”  
Brigid started snickering. “I found where you could buy a whip on-line. I’ll show you the site.”  
“That could be very interesting.” Melissa started snickering as well.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

Alex was only too happy to take Miss Kitty, who had mastered the toilet and was kindly waiting for him to flush, and follow the rest of the males. There was about to be girl talk going on. He liked doing some of the girl things. He liked his nails done. The marbled blue had been real pretty. He liked the gook on his face. The oil and hot towel was nice. It made him kind of a puddle. But the talk, talk, talk…not so much.  
Speaking of talking.

Max was taking charge since Chris and Peter were still kind of… chewed up and spit out. That meant the he didn’t have to worry about any of them. His momma was with Melissa and the girls. She would either have a girl’s night or she would turn up later. Someone would wander through and stare at him from the top of the ladder. He could sleep through Momma and Melissa. They gave off mommy vibes. 

Stiles…buzzed. If he stood there too long making sure that Alex didn’t forget to breathe or something it would wake him up. Stiles didn’t mind the grumpy face ‘fall off the ladder please’ look he got. 

Scott was usually mommy soft but lately... he wasn’t buzzy like Stiles but he was… staticy like a radio station you couldn’t quite get to play. 

He was going to take Miss Kitty and go to his room. It had been a long day and he was tired.  
Alex headed toward the stairs. “You are going to have to go up by yourself. I can’t carry you. My left side still doesn’t work too good. I need my right hand to hold onto the rail. I go up and down as often as I can. It makes me stronger. Get in front of me and stay there. You can tell where to go. We are all the way up at the top. Just keep going.” 

Miss Kitty would go up several stairs then sit and watch. He would catch up and she would go up several more. This went on till they were all the way to the third floor. 

He took his shower and put on his night clothes. Miss Kitty waited outside the door. Some things evidently required privacy.  
“Up there. My bedroom is up there. It’s like super great. You have to go up the wanna-be ladder as Momma calls it. Go. You go first.” 

Alex followed Miss Kitty up the ladder. He spread his arms open wide. He was so proud of his room. “This is my room. Isn’t it great? You can sleep with me so you won’t be scared. Momma will be in later. Or Melissa. Or Stiles. Or Scott. On the ‘you have got to be shitting me’ nights they all come and check on me. Shhhh. Don’t tell. That slipped out. Stiles has been muttering that all week. I’m not supposed to say that till my head is over the half door. But sometimes things just drop out of your mouth. Stiles told me that. I’m ready to go to bed now. I’m tired. Come on. Get in.” 

He curled up in his bed and Miss Kitty waited till he was settled and asleep. She draped her body over his as she faced the opening of the loft. She began to purr softly. A fine grey mist spread out from under the bed. It slowly drifted until it reached the opening. It drifted up like fog finding a wall. When it reached the top, the purring could no longer be heard outside the room. Nothing would be heard outside the loft. Nothing.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

Max kept feeling like there was something that he was forgetting. He just could not manage to bring it to mind. It was like a late night fog. The grey kind that hid things. Till you fell over them. He ran through his mental list. Females were on their own. Not even going there.

He had arranged for Chris and Peter to take care of each other tonight. They would be in Chris’ hide out.  
He would take Stiles his living quarters on the market floor and take care of him there.  
Dean had Scott. They were close enough that if Dean needed any help they were easily available.  
Sam and Etienne would either go to Etienne’s or find somewhere else to crash. He was leaving that up to them. They were big boys in every sense of the word. 

He ran through his mental list one more time. 

Girls. Packed up and fine.  
Chris. Thoughtful and fine. Or would be in the morning.  
Peter. Looking less like a chew toy.  
Stiles. Something going on there. He would find out.  
Scott. Huh, he was looking rough but better at the same time. His eyes were clearer. He didn’t look as confused.  
Dean. The Stoic card was in play.  
Sam. Fine. Looked like he just wanted to crawl somewhere warm and crash for a day or two now he had been fed. It was remarkably similar to the look of the face of…  
Etienne. 

That was everyone. They were all accounted for. What the fuck was nagging at the back of his mind then? He would sort it out after he took care of Stiles. 

“Alrighty then. You know where you are going. I suggest you head there and crash. If the stores open a bit late tomorrow… I am sure the customers will still be more than happy to come and gawk and buy. Go. I am not some herding animal to nip at your heels. Good night. We will see you in the morning.” 

Max gathered a slightly protesting Stiles up and moved him toward the gates to the market floor. He could tell that Dean and Scott were behind them. Good. Dean would have their back. He just had this odd feeling he couldn’t shake. There was no reason for it.

Was there?


	63. Loved

Max and Stiles had showered and settled in when they heard some odd sounds coming from Dean’s. They went and checked. The door was partially open which was slightly alarming. The strange sounds was Dean trying not to scream as Scott seemed intent on licking and nipping every part of his body. 

Max took Stiles by the shoulder and shut the door. 

“He’s never wanted me like that.”  
Max didn’t know if Stiles was talking about Dean or Scott.  
“Do you want to be desired like that?”  
“He’s never WANTED me like that.” 

“Have you ever wanted HIM like that?”  
Silence…. Softly…”No.”  
“Have you ever wanted anyone like that?”

Stiles shook his head. “They did something to me. I hope they did something to me. Otherwise that means I’m really fucked up. I thought it was part of the training to be a Black Widow. Or healing training. Desire gets in the way. It isn’t appropriate between healer and the person they are working with.” 

“But I wondered. I watched the other boys my age. The few of them that there were. They…wanted. Hungered. Desired. I had all of these thoughts and stuff that just bounces around in my head. Wanting someone wasn’t in all those thoughts. I think that it might have been different once. But then I was so young.” 

“My mother and Teyla started me on the medicine to help me just before I really hit puberty which can I just say…was hellacious. I thought I was going to lose my mind. All sorts of things were happening and they were all scary. Scott was the only one that would come around. Even after I attacked him. I don’t even remember what triggered it. He touched me and I wanted to rip his arm off. Teyla knocked me out. She’s not that big but all of her is total bad-ass. I didn’t argue anymore about taking the herbs. For the rest of my fucking life.” 

He turned and looked at Max with tears in his eyes. “Is that why Peter didn’t want my blood? Because it’s as fucked up as I am?” 

Max cupped his face in gentle hands. “Peter didn’t take your blood because you were busy spilling it taking care of Scott. He clocked you good in the face when he went down. The gash that he opened as he fell against the table behind him meant the blood was flowing from him as well. You looked like extras in some Tinseltown horror movie.” 

“It wasn't that Peter didn't want you. We were busy freaking out while you got busy taking care of Scott.”  
Stiles eyes were pooling emotion and tears. “Really?”  
“Really.” 

Stiles closed his eyes to try to find his..composure..male creds...he was just about ready to use his shirt as a tear and snot rag. He really was such a pussy. Next think he knew he was going to be bonding some strange cat. They could be drama queens together. 

Max leaned forward and licked the tears from his face. Lick. Gentle open mouthed kiss. Lick. Kiss. Till Stiles was relaxed and pliant. Max led him to the bathroom and cleaned the dried blood off of his face from the nosebleed and busted lip from where Scott had accidently hit him. 

He pressed Stiles' head against his throat and rocked them both. “Sometimes you are willing to do almost anything not to feel all alone. That someone cares if you wake up in the morning. That if you died. Someone would miss you and cry. Sometimes you pretend. You trade your body for a touch. Pretend that it is what you want and need. That you have a reason to keep on living. Not to just lay down and die. You wonder what is wrong with you. Why are you…different? Why don’t you think and want the things that other people do. Things you can have. Things that you should want. Things that would make you fucking ‘normal’.” 

Max pressed a kiss to Stiles’ temple. “Then you get older. You learn. Most everybody else is pretending just like you are. Afraid to be honest. To be open about what they want and need. To break free of the conditioning that tells them they need to be fixed, healed or medicated till they conform. All the voices in the world telling them they are wrong won’t matter if the voice inside tells them that ‘this is me. This is my life to live.’ And sadly all the kind voices out there get drowned out by the inner critic that wants to keep us small. In a tight little ball in the corner that doesn’t go outside. Doesn’t take chances. Doesn’t dance in the rain. That exists but forgets to live.” 

Max tilted Stiles’ face to his. “You are the way you were meant to be. You are unique. Special. Alive. So very alive. More than anything I want to make sure that you stay that way. The medications were to keep you safe. Until you knew enough to keep yourself safe. It’s not too late. You still feel. You love. Desire will come as you step back the medications. I watched you take them and wondered why. I thought it was something that you chose for reasons of your own. I didn’t realize they weren’t your reasons.” 

He pressed the sides of their faces together. “You know what to do and how to do it. It will wear off. Then I know that I will be happy to help you explore. Dean looks at you. He’s unsure. It isn’t something that he likes feeling. It goes so very much against his bad-ass image. We had a brief very embarrassing talk about Other, most expressly Wolfgard, sexuality. Loyalty not monogamy. No one person is your everything. They can’t be and it’s unfair to expect that from or of them. But that is for another night and time. Shower then bed. It has been an eventful day. Tomorrow will be another day. Hopefully a little quieter. A little more time for each other when we are running from one crisis to another. If I have learned nothing else, I do know how to make time for what is special and important. I will make time for you tomorrow. I will make time for Dean. You both mean a great deal to me. Just remember that. You are loved. You are always very much loved.”


	64. Leashed

Peter curled up around Chris and held on carefully. More for him than for Chris. The world was a broken mirror at the moment and he was tired of getting cut. Bleeding. Hurting. 

He was afraid. Would he be enough? Strong enough? Smart enough? Would his courage endure? Would he falter? Grandfather was an asshole. “It is our choices that define us. The hard choices most of all.” He was true to that. He made the hard choices and didn't back down or away from the results. Peter respected that even when he wanted to choke the living shit out of the old man. 

Could he make the hard choices? Dying was easy. Living was a stone-cold bitch that liked to kick you in the nuts. 

Peter was shaken. He admitted it. It had been a very long time since he had held bonds. These were hints of what the bonds should and could be but it was so much more than he had experienced since he had agreed to the Leash. The bonds were going to start wearing at the Leash. They already had and not just for him. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. He now had Chris, Etienne, Sam, Dean, Max, Scott, Stiles, Morgana, Mouse, Melissa, Lydia, Allison and Brigid. 

Wait. There was a blank space where Stiles should be. He had been dealing with Scott’s seizure.  
Still, that many spirits tethered to his. It was jostling and pulling. Things inside were shifting around and fraying. 

Had that been Grandfather’s plan? When he had started the chain of events? Or perhaps the links had been pulling into place far longer than today. This year. This decade. 

The Leash. The binding on who he was and what he could do and be. The leash and choke chain that kept him compliant. Docile. Safe to be around. He knew about his Leash. Had accepted it in return for Chris’ life and safety. 

Brigid’s Leash was Alex. He was her life. His well-being was in every thought, every action. She had accepted the Leash her husband and the families had put on her in return for having Alex. But threaten him, the Leash wouldn’t hold her back. Nothing would. 

Allison had been a child when her Grandmother had died. She had been 14. Still so malleable for Kate and Victoria. Chantal had pushed her. They pulled her back. Used her. They hadn’t gone for a Leash they had tried to fucking hamstring her. 

Lydia. Lydia that loved Lavender. Lavender for healing and protection. What did that say about her? That she was as battered and broken as the rest. That her alpha snark and snarl hid doubt and fear? She was the forgotten little girl that had no home, no place, no real attachment to what should be her pack? She clung to Allison and Morgana even though they didn’t fit well. Always shifting around each other, trying to find a comfortable place to rest. To find some peace. Lavender for calming and soothing injuries. Afraid to show her soft underbelly. There was a Leash there. 

Melissa was much like Brigid. Scott was her Leash. He had been damaged when something had managed to take Jager out. Something big and nasty. Jager’s death was a leash too. It broke her. She had survived a heart-wound because she refused to leave her child. Her son. Scott was his father’s son. That had been clouded by a skillful hand. More memory than anything else now. What they had been. How alike they were. Winterborne. 

Mouse. Afraid to let anyone know her Name. Denial of who and what she was at the most basic level. Her name. That had taken more than a Leashing. Much more. 

Morgana. Named after a myth, a legend. By a woman called after the Shadow in the Night. Dark Witch. Submissive to a deamon queen. Leashed. Until Stiles. 

Stiles. The missing spot. The catalyst. The fuse to it all waiting to be lit. 

Scott. Beaten and broken and bound. But still fighting. Undefeated. Still. His father’s son. 

Max. The enigma. Erudite. Vicious and skilled with a blade. A cold burning deep inside. Not full human. Not in the least. Leashed. 

Dean. Sam was his strength and weakness. He would do anything for his brother. Even walk into the fires of Hell. 

Sam. The scholar. The killer. The dark soul that lurked beneath that pretty face. Dean wore his openly to keep people at a distance. Sam lured them in. His brother was his Leash. His guide. Without Dean, Sam would fall away into the Abyss. Never to return. 

Etienne. Beargard. Solitary. Warrior. Just looking for a home and a place to belong. Something to live for. Something he would be willing to die for. 

Chris. Full circle. His Leash. Allison was Chris’ Leash. They had beaten him, fucked with him and his family. By his family. The two most important women in his existence. His mother and his child. His North Star in two bodies. 

Sometimes it was a Leash. Sometimes it was the only thing in the universe that kept you anchored. It depended on who was holding the other end.


	65. Brigid Remembers

Brigid curled up around her pillow. They had decided to sleep over at Melissa’s. Everyone was now settled for the night. She was on the couch that she was almost considering hers. It was dark. Quiet. Not totally peaceful. There were too many feelings. Too many emotions over what had happened and what was to be. Part of her was in a grey fog. The other part. Was lost in memories. They had spun through her mind as Peter had bit her. A flashing whirl. Then they had been blurred by the seizure, the aftermath and planning. The drama that her life had become. But then her life had always held drama. 

She closed her eyes. And remembered.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

Back when Brigid and Alex had first started coming to the Courtyard. They went to various places. The main reason she went to the Courtyard and took Alex with her was that she was sure that she would not run into her husband. His mistress. His family that disliked her and seemed to wish that she and Alex both had been killed in the accident.

Her family that thought the same and resented that she had been the one to inherit money from a distant relative. They could have really used that money better than she did squandering it on that brat. That wasn’t even hers. Both families resented that it was administrated by a third party that paid the bills that she put on a particular credit card. That could not be put on file. Could not be signed for or used by anyone but anyone but her. There was a monthly spending limit. 

Brigid lied and told them that it was about a third of what it truly was. More than enough to rent someplace else for the two of them to live. She had saved. She could even buy a place of their own. She had tried moving out. Somehow things had fallen through at the last minute and she was left with no apartment, no house, no nothing else to call home. She didn’t call this home. She called it hell. 

She wasn’t allowed to leave even though they didn’t want her. She had the sneaking suspicion that other money was tied up in that. There was no other reason for them to want to keep her and Alex around. 

So considering all of that, a Courtyard full of Others seemed to be a better bet than her relatives. You knew where you stood with them. The Others; not her relatives. They wouldn’t knife you in the back. Going straight for the throat was oddly comforting as in they had to be provoked by something she did. Not just that she was a convenient target, her breathing bothered them, or she was in their way of getting what they wanted. 

There was a child’s table in the children’s section of the Bookstore. Odd. Really odd. Alex was the only human child that she had ever seen there. Which made her feel like a horrible mother and from some of the looks of disbelief, she wasn’t alone in that judgment. From humans. 

She had never seen an Other that wasn’t, judging by size, somewhere in their late teens to early twenties. They regarded Alex as a curiosity. They didn’t approach him. Didn’t speak to him. They just watched him. 

There had only been one time that they had been approached by an Other. It had been her not Alex. She had been harassed and hurried. She had showered, washed her hair and got Alex cleaned up and out of the mansion as soon as she possibly could. They hadn’t been able to sleep till the small hours of the morning. The arguments had been that loud and vicious. 

It had been a gauntlet of the family that she had dealt with to get out the door. They all wanted something and all had something to say. Usually nasty. 

Alex had wanted to go to the Bookstore. He liked eating at the Café that was semi-attached to the Bookstore. There was a huge mutual opening that would allow customers to go from one business to the other. She was more than willing. If she had to deal with one more family member on either side, she wasn’t sure what she would do. But it would be explosive. That just wouldn’t turn out well for anyone no matter how good it might feel at the time. 

They had eaten and were sitting at the table in front of the windows. She had taken her mid-back length hair out of the tight braid so it would have a chance to dry. She was finger-combing it as she watched Alex draw in one of his ‘books’. He was not happy and it was not a happy story. She was so focused on her young son and wondering how to help him and how to get out of the situation she was in, she didn’t notice the fascinated Other creeping up behind her. 

Fingers other than hers were suddenly lifting her hair and letting it fall. She did it to get her hair to dry quicker. She had no idea what the hell the other..person.. was doing. She froze. Alex froze with an odd expression on his face. 

Whoever was behind her had a nice touch. They didn’t pull her hair. Just carded fingers through and pulled it out and let it slowly slide out of their grasp. She didn’t know what to do so she just sat there. 

“No petting the humans. I’m not running a petting zoo.” The owner of the Bookstore had walked over and snarled at the owner of the fingers.  
There was a disconcerting whining noise behind her. She didn’t think that sound could be made in human-ish form. 

“No. You pet them then they think that they can pet you. No petting the humans.”  
“It’s like fire! Soft fire that doesn’t burn.”  
Wow, Owner must have children. He had that ‘don’t make me walk over there’ face down pat.  
There was this kind of grumbling noise. No actual words were produced. The better not to get smacked. “What if I let her pet me? No human petting but she can.”  
Brigid blinked. There was an expression that conveyed ‘magnitude of dumbassness’. “She is human.”  
“But I like her.”  
Brigid was suddenly adjusting the age of the male behind her downward. Severely. That was worthy of her five year old son. 

The owner took a step forward and be body behind her slid away and toward the Café. Grumbling. Quietly.  
Brigid really tired to get her sense of humor reined back in. The owner of the fingers had a big, buff body and a just this side of pretty face. He was older than she had guessed. Sort of. The body was closer to the end of his twenties. The expression on his face was interchangeable with Alex’s when he was feeling put upon. 

That was a surprise. The Others had mastered eye-rolling and ‘Mother Night grant me patience and make it freaking fast’ looks. The owner had to either have children of his own or dealt with them. More than he wanted to evidently. It was an interesting idea.  
Not just mindless, soulless killers. Animals that could take human form.  
They had children that drove them nuts. Relatives that got on their last nerve and played jump-rope. Extended family that they looked at and wondered what they had ever done to deserve having to deal with this idiot today? They were different. But they were alike also.  
Really interesting thought.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

The owner’s name was Chris. Or Christopher when he was in trouble. The woman in the Café that probably owned it seemed to think that he was Christopher very often during the day. True, she did seem to have mastered the more human way of running a business.

He stated facts. No explanations. No excuses. Fact was fact.  
“No plastic. No things called checks. Paper money. No paper money, go get some and then come back.”

Actually, considering some of the things she had heard him snarl, that was pretty good for Chris. Amiable even for some days.  
He had been kind to her and Alex in his own very special way. She would return the favor. 

She stepped into the irritated customer’s line of sight and gave him her polite smile. “Excuse me. But there is a money machine in the Market area. It isn’t that far. You can pull out cash there and then come back to the Courtyard to shop.”  
“But I don’t want to have to do all that just to buy a book. Why can’t he just figure out how to do a credit card transaction?”  
Brigid blinked. Stupid much? 

Christopher leaned till his nose, and teeth, was very close to the human man’s face. “Because HE doesn’t want to. My store. My rules. You are stupid. Do not breed. Your offspring will be eaten.” With that unforgettable statement, Chris walked off. 

Brigid darted around the wall to the Café and put both hands over her mouth to muffle the giggles.  
Melissa stood in the entryway between the two stores. “Christophe’ Michel…  
Whoa, whoa, did she just call him Chris-tof Michelle? Michelle? Who the fuck names their boychild Michelle? No wonder the man was surly. Brigid tuned back into the conversation. 

Melissa was still scolding. “Do not threaten to eat the customers. It is bad for business. Bad for your business fine. Bad for my business then we will have words.”  
“Fuck you.”  
“Maybe after work if you are very good.” 

Melissa gave her a look now. “Don’t laugh. It just encourages him.” 

Brigid nodded as she desperately tried to restrain the urge to give the surly Wolfgard a high-five and a hug. That had been freaking priceless. There had been so many times in her years in various retail positions that she had wanted to say something like that. Well not exactly like that..more like you are too stupid please don’t breed. She wondered if he was hiring? He wouldn’t be the worst manager she had ever worked for. Maybe she could talk him into letting her manage the store and deal with the customers and he just did the general managing. 

If only. If only it came with an apartment that they could rent and a way to have Alex at work with her. She would take it in a heartbeat. If only.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

“He isn’t drawing today.”  
“Mother freaking Night. Don’t do that. Makes some noise when you walk up behind the humans. Don’t just start talking when you are already up close and personal!”  
Brigid turned around and flinched back. He had no concept of personal space. Or maybe it was just that all space belonged to him.  
‘You were put upon this earth to be a burden to me.’ Could be expressed plainly without a word being spoken.  
“Don’t start with me young man. I’m only dealing with one whiny, attitude-carrying male at a time and the one that is actually mine is first. Straighten up that face and attitude and use you big boy words and tell me what your problem is. And if the words ‘you are’ come out of your mouth then you will be living in the corner for the forseeable future.”  
Wolfgard. Snarly male Wolfgard. Are aware of the concept of strategic retreat and can perform the maneuver with amazing alacrity.

She turned around to see Melissa looking at her with an expression that was both admiring and slightly alarmed. “I’ll send someone to get some MoonTime tea from Stiles. I’ll make you some and bring it to you. No charge. I’ll bring you…a pot of it.” 

Brigid felt her jaw drop. Surely. MoonTime tea? They didn’t mean. She wasn’t. Oh crap. How good could they smell and awwww. Fuck. Fine bring the damn tea. 

About an hour and a pot of tea later, Brigid had to pee. Alex had already one mini-bow-up at her. She doubted that the Wolfgard could sign since Alex had been taught to be embarrassed about how his voice sounded in public and would only sign to her when there were people around. 

There was no mistaking the stubborn revolt on his face and body language.  
“I have not peed sixteen times this past hour. Maybe twice.”  
Signing from Alex.  
“Yes. You do need to come with me. I’m not going to leave you out here all by yourself!”  
Gesturing to the huge wolf that had moved closer to enjoy the show.  
Brigid wanted to ask if he wanted popcorn but didn’t know what she would do if he said yes.  
“I am not leaving you with a total stranger. We haven’t even been introduced.”  
“Sam. Cranky female that needs to pee. Cranky female that will be getting more MoonTime tea soon. Sam.” Chris had been walking by.  
“Why thank you Michelle, that was so courteous of you.”  
There was a slight stagger in Chris’ movement but then he just turned around and headed out the front door.  
She turned to see that the giant wolf was staring at her cautiously offering her his paw. Like he was ready to yank it back quickly if she decided to bite. “Oh really. I’m not that bad.” The entire population of the store, of which she and Alex were the only humans, not-looked at her. It was a non-verbal cry of bullshit lady.  
Her son reached out and shook the paw. Sat down at his books and both males had a look of please go away now. You are embarrassing us. 

Brigid rose to her feet with regal grace, she hoped, and channeling her inner Wolfgard stalked to the bathroom. To discover. Crap. They were right. She had just started her period. She always carried supplies in her purse so the matter was handled. Maybe she had been a little tetch cranky. Just a little. 

She finished up and walked out of the bathroom into pretty Wolf boy. Close up, he wasn’t just this side of pretty. He was freaking gorgeous. 

“Michelle, which by the way is Melissa’s crappy attempt to pronounce the French form of Michael, would like to know why the child is not working on his drawing today. He keeps looking at his drawing book but doesn’t use it.” 

He had her by both upper arms. And it seemed that letting go hadn’t entered his really pretty head.  
Brigid moved her shoulders slightly. Nope. Not catching the hint. Fine. “He only has two left. The store where I buy them usually won’t be getting any more in for a couple of months. He is saving them. He can only use one a month.” 

Pretty boy frowned. “Order them.”  
Brigid gave him ‘Do you think I didn’t think to do that you igmo’ look. Damn, some things transcend all boundaries and barriers. It worked.  
“Okay. Then why doesn’t he have his drawing books if you know that?”  
“One, the store was less than useless about helping or allowing me to place an order. Two, I don’t have a catalogue for them to make sure that I’m getting the style that he likes. There are three. He only likes the one with the thicker paper. Again useless to tell me which order number that would be from the staff at the store. And finally reason three, I have a post office box. It can’t be delivered to a post office box. No I am not going to have it sent to where we live. If I LIKED it there do you think we would spend so much time in a Courtyard?”  
Her shoulders were carefully released. As if she were some dangerous, highly volatile concoction of chemicals. Really?! Brigid watched him walk away to talk to Christopher Michael.  
She went back to the table where her son and Sam were at. Alex was coloring in the coloring book that someone had given him. That he loathed. It was some religious crap. He was going from one part of a figure to the next. Sam was choosing the colors. Which was interesting since in Wolf form he was probably color blind which was an improvement for the coloring book actually. 

Chris walked over and squatted by the table and looked at Alex. He put a pad of paper and pencil on the table and pointed to Alex’s primary composition book with a questioning look on his face. Alex nodded. Chris flipped it over and wrote down the information on the back. He nodded at Alex. Flipped it back over and walked away. 

Melissa put another pot of tea in front of her with honey to sweeten.  
Brigid sighed. She fixed another freaking cup.  
The store sighed in relief. 

Several days later when they came in. Chris dropped a box on Alex’s table with an invoice. Brigid opened the box. There were 24 of the kind of ‘books’ that Alex favored that had an even better quality of paper. Alex was so thrilled. He kept petting the paper. Brigid looked at the invoice. It was cheaper than she would have paid for the same amount of primary composition books at the other store. It dawned on her that he was only charging her what it had cost him. 

Alex tugged at her. He wanted to pay. She gave him the invoice and cash. She watched as he gravely completed the transaction then darted around the counter to hug Chris’ thigh. Chris’ head was down. She couldn’t see his expression. The hand on Alex’s head was infinitely gentle. He had children. He loved them dearly. No question.

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Brigid had groaned when the pot of tea appeared in front of her. “It’s only been two weeks. I am NOT having my Moontime. I have a headache.”  
“PainEase.”  
“What? Is there a tea for everything?”  
“Yep.”

Brigid drank the tea. It did help. And she needed to pee. They were keeping her bladder so very flushed. She looked over at Alex. Who was happily composing some great masterpiece in his new book. How sad was it that without even looking up he pointed over at Sam. Sam raised a paw. She got up to go pee. It was like a freaking comedy routine. 

She was coming back out. She was two steps into the room and felt afraid. Immediately her eyes went to her young, vulnerable son. Who was at his table with Sam lying nearby. 

Pretty Wolf-boy who she needed a name for suddenly body-checked a guy that was moving toward the front of the room. Where Alex was. Something wasn’t right and she wasn’t the only one on alert. Alex went under the table in reaction to the sudden tension in the room. 

Pretty Wolf-boy was slowly backing the guy out of the Bookstore. Once they disappeared from view, the tension eased slowly then vanished. 

She didn’t see either of them again that day. She never saw the guy again. 

What she didn’t know was that neither did anyone else.  
Wolfgard could smell emotion and intentions.  
Some humans forgot they weren’t the only predators around.  
Sometimes they were prey.  
Some reminders were fatal.

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It had been a shitty night to match a crappy week. Brigid was tired. She didn’t feel good. Alex was tired. He didn’t feel good either. There was no peace to be had at the mansion. It was too hot to stay in the car. They had no friends that would let them stay. The two sick, miserable and cranky humans ended up at the Bookstore at Alex’s table.

Both of them had their heads down on the table. One on either side. They were ignoring each other. They were on each other’s last nerve. Alex coughed. Again. Brigid pushed the tea over to him. He pushed it back with a scowl. Brigid pushed the little container of honey over to him.  
Alex picked it up and for a second she thought he was going to throw it at her. 

It was plucked from his hand. He was lifted bodily and carried over to a low sofa just his size. There was a pillow and a light blanket. Chris’ growl was much more convincing than Alex’s. “Nap!”  
Alex lay back with a huff. 

Brigid sighed in relief. Then screamed. Quietly. Chris scooped her up off of the floor and gently dumped her on another sofa. She opened her mouth to protest and lost her breath to the pillow that hit her in the chest. A light throw was draped over her head. “Nap!” She yanked the material off of her head to glare…at his back. Someone pulled the curtains shut behind the sofas. Sam curled up in front of Alex. 

The sofas were more like futons in that they were very low, almost on the ground.  
Brigid glared at the store. The store not-looked at her. Great. She was a child whose temper tantrum was being ignored. 

Alex had his fingers tangled in Sam’s ruff. 

She would just curl up for a minute. Just for a minute. She was not taking a nap!


	66. Chapter 66

Brigid got up first. Started the coffeepot at Melissa’s then headed to her apartment to get ready for the day. She walked in, looked up and felt bowel-loosening terror. There was a grey fog that separated Alex’s room from the rest of the apartment. 

Before she could move forward, scream for help, arm herself with the nearest object, the fog started thinning from the top down. It was like watching a creepy movie in reverse. 

It took forever as she walked across the floor. It was probably the longest half minute of her life other than the accident. That she couldn’t completely remember. 

Miss Kitty’s face appeared at the top of the ladder.   
“Where is my son?”  
Miss Kitty looked behind her and gave one long chainsaw pull.   
“Get your scrawny, furless ass out of my way.” Brigid managed to scramble up the wanna-be ladder only taking the skin off one shin not both. Pretty much an achievement in her mind. 

Alex. Was snoring. On his back snoring like a passed out frat boy. Brigid stopped dead in disbelief. He never slept on his back. He curled up tightly protecting his vulnerable areas. They both had learned to sleep that way. He didn’t snore. Unless he was sleeping so deeply that..well that just hadn’t happened since he was a toddler. 

She sat on the floor. Voluntarily. Really. And watched her beloved son snore and drool. It was the loveliest sight and sound she had ever seen. The second most beautiful was Miss Kitty who evidently inspired such…miracles.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

Dean was laying flat on his back. Stunned. Scott was draped over him. Breathing in the careful way of someone that is afraid they are about to shatter into a thousand pieces.

Dean knew the feeling. Something had happened to Scott when Peter bit him. Some aspect of him had broken free and that had been what had caused the seizure. Anything else was unthinkable. Scott was still there. He hadn’t been consumed or possessed. Though something had definitely broken free. And it had been intense. 

He had gotten Scott into his room and they had fallen onto the bed. Then everything…changed. 

It had taken him back to his Hunter days. For a few seconds what had looked at him from behind Scott’s eyes…hadn’t been anything he recognized. And it had scared him. He didn’t know what it was or how to stop it. He didn’t know what it was and had it already destroyed Scott? 

It had been wild, feral and chillingly angry. It had been a kind of anger in those golden-hued, glazed eyes that he hadn’t personally encountered. Passion and violence had been intertwined like lovers unable to be parted without destruction to both. When you stare into the Abyss; sometimes the Abyss stares back. He had heard that and had thought it..bullshit. Until that moment. 

The creature wearing Scott’s form lowered his head. Sharp teeth cut into his lip causing the blood to flow. It had been an odd kind of pain that held the edge but not true hurt. His blood was tasted, savored and those clever teeth and tongue sought out more. 

There was a part of his brain that was screaming. For Stiles. Max. Sam. Anyone and get the fuck up here! 

Most of his mind was just getting hammered by lust, sharp and brutal. He wanted. He craved. He was willing to be consumed if it meant that pleasure/pain kept spiraling and taking him higher. 

High, tight-throated, animal whimpers sounded loud in his ears and quiet in the room. He could almost feel his reason and will fading. There was only that mouth and the pleasures it brought to his willing body. No other lover had tasted him and touched him before. His body..yes. This was a tasting and savoring of what made him… 

Blunted nails scratched down his sides. It took his focus away from that mouth and let him take a deep breath. To scream. The air came in.. and caught. 

Sharp, sharp teeth were at his throat. Only the lightest of penetrations. It made his body clench in anticipation and fear. He wanted it and that made him afraid. To be taken. Penetrated. He wanted the promise that he didn’t fully understand but it called to him. Taunted him. Seduced him. Such pleasures. Pleasures as hot and wild as his blood. Taken and given. 

Dean grabbed that dark hair. Uncertain. Whether to pull the creature away from him or ever closer. 

Nails were now sharp. They shredded the sweatshirt he was wearing. Lightly scoring the skin beneath. He gasped and twitched and the shallowest of streams of blood were charted. He was mapped and memorized. His body would be forever known. 

He toed off his own shoes. Giving up and giving in. It was something that he had been wanting, needing for years. He lifted his hips and allowed himself to be bared. Not just in body. 

His nipple was pierced. An odd thought was if he wanted to get some sort of jewelry for the piercing. Something that would remind him later of the pleasure/pain. He could feel it rub against his clothes. Touch it. And remember. 

A sharp nip brought his attention back. He was fogging out from the intensity. Being drawn deeper in some quiet place. Where the rest of the world didn’t matter. 

His hands clenched in the covers of the bed and his body arched. He was opened and arranged. He could only gasp and hope. He couldn’t even say what he hoped. The penetration was slow. His flesh was parted with a carnal tenderness. Blood welled from the penetration. 

It was..bliss. 

He was sucked and licked. The wound closed through his healing and the attentions of his lover. There was only the faintest of tenderness and sting from the deep bite on his thigh. 

The sharp teeth and tender mouth began to travel back up his body until they were face to face. He could taste his own blood in the kiss. 

A fang cut a lip. He wasn’t sure who did it. The rich blood flowed. His world turned…red.


	67. Cat-ass-trophy

The moment Max stepped out of his quarters and looked at Dean’s face, he knew something shattering had happened.   
The quiet “Aw fuck.” from behind him let Max know that Stiles had caught sight of Scott. 

Scott looked…raw. As if every nerve had been exposed and scraped. 

Stiles darted around Max and headed for Scott. Both Max and Dean moved. Too slowly. 

The boys already had their hands on each other. Grasping and pulling. They were close to the same height and size. They had played and wrestled since they were children. They knew all of the other’s weak point and used them now. 

To avoid hurting the other part of them any more than they were already in pain. It was kind of like an odd, staggering dance. Neither of them were the men they would grow to be. Bodies still gawky and awkward with youth. But the shadows loomed large behind them. The ghosts of the strong men that fathered them. 

“So. You lose your V-card?”  
Scott shook his head and hid his smile in Stiles’ shoulder.   
“Well damn. Me neither. Thought you were going to get lucky at least. You were definitely giving it a go.”   
Scott snorted. “Sort of an out-of-body-experience.”   
Stiles stiffened. “Well, fuckty-fuck-fuck-fuck. Those are no fun.”   
There was a snicker. “Dean wasn’t complaining from what I could see.”   
“You got to be in the driver’s seat some then?”  
“Shotgun.”   
“Bummer.”   
“Yeah.” 

They pulled back slightly and looked at each other. “Food.”   
And that was that. 

Stiles bounced over to make eyes at Max. “We are starving. Hard night. Poor pitiful us. We need special treats cause we are so traumatized.”   
Max was giving him a blank look.   
Stiles raised a brow. “Do I need to go get Alex to give you ‘the full treatment’? Cause I can you know. But that would have you baking your little fingers to the bone. I like your un-bony fingers. They feel real nice. Come on. Your kitchen awaits.” 

He headed off, Scott trailing behind. Two unruly puppies headed off toward trouble and getting swatted and cornered in short order. 

Max looked at Dean in confusion. “Am I the only one that strikes as a rather bizarre reaction?”

Dean put his arm around Max’s waist and nudged him forward. “Nope. They have the bizarre stalked, seized and assimilated.”   
Max let Dean guide him. “That was not helpful.”   
Shoulders moved in a shrug. “Whine to Brigid. She’ll pet you and make it better.”   
“And thus the inmates run the asylum.”   
“Amen Brother. Amen.”

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Max was in the kitchen of the Cafe working on baking something special for the traumatized. Himself included. There were so many thoughts and questions running rampant through his head no better organized or controlled than any of the puppy males that were cluttering up his kitchen. Peter and Chris were not exempt from that designation.

Alex was. He was the only one that was sitting, well-behaved. And that should worry him more than anything else. Miss Kitty by his side watching with amused distain. An omen. It was going to be a cat-a-strophic day. Pun intended fuckyouverymuch. 

Stiles was talking to him but admittedly he wasn't paying full attention. And realized it.. "Pardon, mon chou?"

Chris was passing through the room. He stopped, grinned then started snickering. 

Stiles gave him a WTF look. "What?"  
"He called you cupcake. Cupcake" 

Stiles jaw dropped and his face worked as he looked at his sorta boyfriend to be who had just..insulted..endeared in a ‘what the fuck’ kind of way... him. 

Etienne walked up behind Chris and wrapped an arm around him and kissed him on the top of the head. "Bonjour, mon puce." 

Max froze then put down what he had in his hand. He slowly slid to the floor as he laughed.   
Stiles turned in circles as he looked between Chris and Max. "Wait. What. What did he say? At least spell it so I can go look it up. No wait. Come back here. Damnit don’t walk away from your cupcake!"

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Max stood in the middle of the kitchen with a knife in his hand. His knuckles stood out starkly and the veins were distended. He was breathing like a race horse at the end of a brutal race. That he lost.

He was going to kill Stiles. Painfully. Slowly. If someone else didn’t get to him first. Very carefully he put the knife down. Turned slowly and looked at Stiles. Who was holding what was left of the bowl of frosting and standing surrounded by cupcakes like some demented baking elf. “Do not speak to me. There is nothing that can be said that will make me want to strangle you any LESS but opening your mouth is guaranteed to make me want to do much MORE to your body in a way that will not acquaint you with Stiles’ happy place.” Max held up his hand and said very softly. “Go. To. Your. Room.” Through clenched teeth with perfect enunciation. 

Stiles and Scott both trailed out. After scooping up cupcakes into the bowl and shirts and taking the frosting with them. 

Max just sighed. “I was the model of decorum. Obedient. Circumspect. Diligent and dutiful. Why? Why? In the name of all that is holy am I being subjected to the children from hell?” 

Brigid had come over to snag some lunch and take it back to her counter to eat as Allison checked. Brigid petted him gently. It did help.

Till he watched her pick the two cupcakes left, up off the floor, finger swipe the frosting that was on the counter and smear it on the cupcakes and walk off eating. It was official. He was in hell. 

The first portent had been when a sign had had appeared on the counter to the Herbal section:

****  
Stiles is having a very bad, horrible, no-good day!  
He will be back tomorrow and bring his brain with him then.  
Thank you for your understanding.  
Chris 

Which was why he had been sent next door to help Scott of all things. Bodily handed over to Melissa by the ear by a very irritated Chris. Melissa took Stiles by the ear and pointed him toward the trays to help Mouse keep them filled. She may have, later, regretted letting go of his ear.

Admittedly a very short-tempered Scott did need some help but not Stiles’ version. Melissa had already swatted both of them on the head and ass. Neither seemed to be the location of their brains. Or sense of self-preservation. 

They were babbling to each other at one point during the lunch rush. Mouse just shrugged and kept the trays filled. Every animal for him or herself today. 

After standing, with amazing patience, watching the Stiles and Scott Comedy Hour, a customer finally walked around to the other side of the register, looked at the menu that had been placed under glass for the cashier’s reference. Rang up what he had bought, made a production of counting out his cash where everyone could see and count along, put it in the cash drawer and made his own change. Which he oblidigingly showed to the next customer for confirmation. Closed the drawer and picked up his tray and went to a table to eat his lunch. 

The next customer looked at Scott. Looked at Stiles. Looked at Melissa and added a batch of chocolate bites to her tray. She looked at the next person in line. Went around to the register, pointed to the items on the tray, announced the price, put price in, (this was now accompanied by a rather sing-song commentary for the viewing public) showed her honor-system-buddy her money and put it in the register and made her change also showing to her battle buddy. Dropped that on her tray. Picked up the chocolate bites and put them by Melissa with a gentle pat to the back. “Just keep breathing dear. They do eventually find their brains. And use them to think with instead of another play toy.” 

Melissa snarled quietly “There is a REASON some mothers eat their young.”   
Max gave the woman extra-special kudos. The human woman. She just kept gently stroking. “Thought about it myself from time to time. But it would have just have given me indigestion. Better to live to be old and cranky and humiliate the hell out of them when they are supposedly grown.”   
That certainly worked to put Melissa in a better frame of mind. Probably plotting how best to humiliate both boys. She was a devious, cunning woman and could enlist Brigid’s help if her creativity failed her. 

The woman gathered her tray and sat at a good table to watch the rest of the show. After pulling out her phone and making a few calls. 

The lunch crowd was growing larger and faster than normal. They previously lacked entertainment to pull in the crowds. Who knew?

Stiles and the Great Cupcake Fiasco was just the last straw! 

Max was now standing in the kitchen. Looking out at a room full of people who had come for the show and to eat. Etienne had been drafted to help Melissa keep up with the dishes that were mounding up at an alarming rate. Mouse was trotting around everywhere keeping things tidied and filled. 

The regular customers had quickly schooled the newcomers on Café Etiquette 101. The hourly floor mopping was a bit of a challenge. It was solved by adding a fan from somewhere to blow the floor dry while the customers stood on the non-‘sanitized’ side. Did he really use the word ‘sanitized’ THAT often? He was waiting for the announcement that it must be ‘Max clean’ in regard to the tables and chairs. 

There was no cashier. There was no one left that was sane enough that wasn’t already working it either store to draft as Cashier. Wait! Where the fuck was Dean? He turned to Etienne. “Where is Dean?”

“Back. Delivery.”   
“Excuse me? Delivery? Of what?”

Etienne winced. Actually winced. “Second delivery phase of the delivery of the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ order. Evidently it came in two shipments. Chris signed the agreement. He was back there screaming for awhile. It wasn’t the nice kid driver. Chris wanted to refuse the delivery. Guy said fine. Unhooked the tractor from the trailer and left. The Leviathan is sitting there at Chris’ back dock. Peter is laughing. Pointing to something that Chris signed on the first delivery. Chris tried to kill Peter but not really. Dean got pulled into it. He was headed back this way.” 

“WHY, was he over there in the first place?”  
Stiles spilled something on him when he went to check on Alex. Dean went to check on Alex. Dean reeked. He was going to just take everything out of his pockets and shower with clothes on. But then the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ delivery hit. He was trying to convince Chris that gutting the driver would NOT help them get the fucking-truck out of the back dock. Not the best of days. Done talking now. Work!” 

Max looked at the customers, who were completely silent so everyone could hear the drama-of-the-day. It might just be the drama-of-the-hour. Fuck this! He was calling AuntTory! He needed some serious backup. He wasn’t sure for what at the moment but presented correctly she was game on for just about anything. 

Max pulled out his phone and made a call. He was waiting for her to pick up and turned to find himself face to face with Allison. “Brigid got cupcakes.” She was holding her lunch and looking at him expectantly.   
“Do you see any cupcakes?”  
“No. That’s why I am reminding you that Brigid got cupcakes. Me, Morgana and Lydia need cupcakes as well, you need to be fair.” 

Max looked at her. He slowly closed the phone. On AuntTory who was speaking. 

Allison backed away slowly. “I will send someone for the cupcakes later. Much, much later.”

A barefoot and sweat-pant clad, damp and frazzled around the edges, Dean walked up to the cash register. He looked at Max. “They are washing my clothes for me. Stiles is so sorry he dumped the bottle of Rosewater on me. He decided to do my laundry with Scott helping to make up for it. This freaking pair of sweats is the only thing they haven’t grabbed. They are polishing my boots as well.” 

He stood at the register radiating irritation. 

The customers once again impressed the hell out of Max. It was a bizarre and dysfunctional community. Someone came up with grippy-sox. Dean was less than thrilled but it was better than being bare-foot.  
The sweat shirt had to be the right color to bring out Dean’s eyes. Several were offered but declined. Not by Dean but by the fashion police. He was finally allowed to have the one that was deemed suitable. He had moved from irritation to resignation. He sat on his stool and endured. Someone bought him chocolate bites which did make it better. They were out of his favorite tiny-pie. Chocolate would just have to do. 

Well, at least they had a cashier now. What else would go wrong?   
No.No.No.No…he did not mean that! He had not said that. NOOOOOO!


	68. Murphy's Law

The lunch rush was over and they were recovering. Sort of. The fun evidently wasn’t over yet. They still had more than the usual amount of customers for this time of day. It was mainly the drink section that they were patronizing as they waited for the next show to begin. 

He had cupcakes to bake. There was an order for a variety of TinyPies. Max suspected that Dean had handed a customer money to order the pies. 

Max couldn’t exactly blame him. Dean hadn’t had the chance to go and see if the two wayward souls had managed to do his laundry or destroy it. 

Though, those sweats, not being Dean’s or in his actual size, were very..snug. The customer may have been happy to pay the price of an order of TinyPie variety to watch Dean. Who obviously wasn’t wearing underwear. 

And then there was the other entertainment. Not that he believed in arguing in public but Max made a ‘note to self’ that the acoustics of the hallways make it a wonderful personal stage. Both Peter and Chris had very distinctive voices. They both spoke clearly and were amazing at expressing what was on their minds. 

Dinner Theater at its finest. As long as you didn’t have a weak stomach. Chris was very graphic in his intentions toward the errant truck driver. Perhaps a call to the company wouldn’t go amiss. He could find out the name and phone number from Stiles. 

If they utilized anyone but the ‘nice human kid’ to deliver to the back dock any time soon, like this decade, they may get their driver back in pieces if they did anything that irritated Chris. Today that would be breathing. He wrote ‘Call Company’ on his white board. 

Peter had finally convinced Chris that he could NOT run down the tractor part of a delivery truck, rip into the cab and gut the driver that had irritated him so. They were working on unloading the trailer. Etienne had gone over after the first crash. Words were exchanged. Loudly. In French. The most amazing language. Where two grown men screaming at each other at the top of their lungs still sounded rather sexy. 

Chris had stalked in the kitchen with an expression of vast discontent. And started washing dishes. Melissa’s shoulders had shaken from time to time but no one mentioned it. Etienne was evidently now unloading the truck. 

It was the epitome of how deranged his existence had become that he considered that…quiet. He watched the industrious young male that had gotten the big mop bucket and was mopping the customer floor from one end to the other. It was a good thing that the customers were young and agile. He required them to sit with their legs crossed in the chairs till his floor was dry. He put the mop and bucket away and in sock clad feet, went to Dean. Who handed him a large container of SpicyBites. So there was some bribery going on. Good to know. The fact that Dean wasn’t an only child was showing. 

It was to the relative quiet that AuntTory entered the front doors. She drifted through like smoke. That got Max’s attention. It wasn’t typical behavior. It was more hunting behavior. Something was up. 

She walked over to the entryway of the kitchen but didn’t enter. “I would like to take my nephew to lunch if he hasn’t already partaken.”  
Melissa looked at her. “What was that in plain speak?”  
“She wants to take me to lunch if I haven’t already eaten.”  
“Does she have a word of the day calendar too?”  
“No. She just does a lot of crosswords.” 

Dean and Melissa studied AuntTory. Melissa asked. “Do you have to take him out of the Café to tell him something’s wrong?”  
AuntTory blinked.  
Max asked terribly curious. “What makes you think that something is wrong?”

Both Wolfgard along with most of the Other in the room turned and looked at him with ‘you just sunk your smart quota for the hour’ expressions.  
“Give me a break! I have only lived in a Courtyard for less than a week. I have not had daily interaction with Wolfgard and whatever the hell the rest of you are. Use your words.” 

“She’s not upset but she was just around a male that was very…not happy and anxious.”

“That could be quite useful.” AuntTory walked over to Max. “Stephen did contact me and we met briefly where he expressed some concerns about former acquaintances of yours.” 

That had Dean’s attention. “Stinky guys that called him girly-boy acquaintances?”  
“No. Neighbors in his former abode.”

Heads swiveled to Max. “Oh for… abode is home or dwelling. Have none of you ever heard of vocabulary enrichment?”  
Head swiveled back to Dean. “We know a sweeping breadth of body language to convey an astronomical number if subtle meanings relevant to our co-existence.”  
Grins bloomed on a number of faces as Max’s face began to color. It wasn’t with embarrassment. The biggest grin was on Dean’s face. “I’ll get the word of the day calendar! Had no idea it would get that reaction. Hot spot? Huh?”  
“Um. Er. I was impressed.” 

“As am I. However that is not germane to the discussion. Stephen.” 

From the front. “I thought his name was Max.”  
AuntTory turned. “HIS name IS Max. We were discussing Stephen’s concerns. If you are going to ease-drop, please do keep up.”  
“Yes Ma’am.” 

Max turned to Melissa. “I believe I will take my lunch break now.”  
“AuntTory, we can go to my quarters and discuss this privately.” Max turned to the room. “I am counting on your personal integrity not to listen in on a private conversation.”  
Sheepish head nods.  
“Wait. Don’t you want to take something with you to eat?” 

Max hesitated and looked at his aunt. She shook her head. “I believe this discussion will be rather detrimental to my digestion.” He offered his aunt his arm and they went up the stairs. 

Dean frowned. “That didn’t give me one of those warm and fuzzy feelings that human was talking about. More like the cold-prickly.”

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Stephen was an odd blend of asshole and adorable. He had a mouth on him that wouldn’t quit. Less of a brain to mouth filter than Stiles and as much heart. He had the body and skills to back up that mouth in the world outside of a Courtyard. He had been their floor Dad, handing out hugs and head-slaps with equal enthusiasm.

He had lucked into a security job for one of the larger businesses and had been home less and less. He still made sure that there was food in the food bank. It was his idea. They all contributed as they could. One of the worst things in Stephen’s mind was being cold and hungry. There were clean, folded blankets and staples to go in the carry bags. Peanut butter sandwiches and noodles maybe wasn’t the best of meals but it beat the hell out of having nothing. 

It had been a revelation for Max. A rather unpleasant and heartbreaking one. There weren’t a large number Abandoned Ones as they were called but even one was too many. 

Max suddenly felt all of the blood drain out of his face. He sat at the top of the stairs. AuntTory crouched by him. “Max? Maximillian? What. Are you ill? What is going on?”

Dean was there and warm hands were cupping his face. “I gotcha Babe. I gotcha. Come on. Up. Let’s get you to your room then you can tell me what the fuck happened. Your heart rate seriously spiked.”  
Max nodded but was looking at AuntTory. “Did Stephen mention any names?”  
“What?”  
“He was concerned. It would be over people and not things.” He grasped her wrist. “Did he mention who he was concerned about?”

AuntTory used a pressure move to release her wrist that left him shaking his hand. “Inside. Put your head between your knees. Panicking won’t solve anything. No he did not mention any names. He simply asked about the gym in the Courtyard and if I would ask you if you knew anything or could find out anything about it. Word was that they were hiring human employees to deal with human customers. Some of the residents had been talking about it. There was also supposedly a project in the works that would cater just to females wanting to improve their physical conditioning.” Her voice was soft. “That’s all I know now. I will find out Max. I promise.” 

Stiles and Scott met them at the door of Max’s living quarters. Stiles immediately started brewing tea. He handed Dean a jar of cream that was promptly smeared into Max’s chest and back. Hands just sat him on a chair and pulled up his shirt out of the way while other hands smeared on the fragrant unguent. 

He breathed. Deeply. 

“I’d call that a panic attack. What the fuck happened? What’s going on?” Stiles had morphed from demented puppy to determined hunter. 

AuntTory spread her hands in an oddly helpless manner. She was a woman who was light years from helpless in any given situation. “You heard what I know.”

Etienne filled the doorway. “Ares has the gym. He knows Sticks. We spar sometimes.” He frowned. “Ares is good people. He doesn’t do crap or allow it.” His head tilted thoughtfully. “He talks. He doesn’t think that I’m stupid because I don’t much. I don’t think he is thinking of getting more humans into the gym. He’s not that fond of them. They have many of their own places outside the Courtyard. Why would he want to bring in those that don’t happen to live here? Just to exercise? They would be here for the thrill of sniffing around Others. No. I don’t think that would be something that Ares would want to encourage.” 

Max put his face in his hands. He had to get his fear and panic under control.  
Dean surrounded him in a hug. “Babe, babe, what? What’s got you so freaked? We can’t help if you don’t tell us what you’re afraid of.”  
“Kenneth.”  
“You are afraid of Kenneth?”  
Max gave a short laugh. “Hardly. I’m terrified for him. I forgot all about him. How? How could I have been such a shitty friend?”  
“Okay. Well you remembered him now. And?”  
“Kenneth is one of the kindest, gentlest people you will ever meet. He is a sweet boy. He will always be a sweet boy.” It was said so softly. So sadly. 

Stiles’ mouth dropped slightly. “Ohhhh.” He thought he understood. “He’s one of the Always Children.”  
The room got very silent, very still and very, very cold. 

“I’ll go and collect Stephen. I think that would be for the best. He can ask and answer questions. He is familiar with me. It won’t disconcert him if I bring him.” AuntTory stood from crouching beside Max. 

Etienne stood aside as she approached the door. He followed her down the stairs and after a very brief conversation with Chris, he left. 

“Okay Babe, tell us about Kenneth. It will help.”

“I don’t know where he came from. He just kind of showed up one winter. He does odd jobs. It’s so stupid. No, he doesn’t learn fast but once he learns, he has it forever. Yet people hesitate to hire him. He is through and patient and doesn’t mind getting dirty as long as he can get clean. He hates being dirty. He gets..strange..about when things are messy. He was staying with someone. I’m not sure who. He would clean the hall floors every day. He picked up all the trash around the apartment and kept everything spotless. He would clean the lobby and doors and windows. I think that the manager let him crash somewhere. I could never figure out exactly where he was staying.” 

“He finally ended up living in on our floor. It used to be some sort of storage/break room. It was between Stephen and me. It had a small bathroom that oddly had a shower. There was a tiny kitchenette. He had a twin mattress on the floor. The manager was older and the stairs were hard on him. He pretty much stayed in the office or his apartment. Kenneth would do whatever he needed done around the apartments. Not the maintence but putting out notices and picking up and fetch and carry stuff.” 

“A new company bought the building and the manager stayed the same. But the owners were pushing keeping the apartments filled. They were less selective about who they let in. That was one reason that I ended up leaving. How could I have been so blind, stupid and self-centered. I never even thought about Kenneth and went back to check on him or got in contact with Steve. I just abandoned him.” 

Dean knelt in front of Max. “Babe. If there is one thing that I’ve learned and learned well it’s that you have to have your shit together before you can help anyone else. You haven’t been here that long. Not that much time has passed. You remembered him now and told us about him. We’ll find him. We will drag his scrawny ass over here and find somewhere to stick him and something for him to do like we did your admittedly cute scrawny butt.” 

Max’s lips twitched. “His ass isn’t scrawny. He isn’t tall but he’s muscular.” His arms folded around himself in a hug. “It hasn’t been that long. It might not even be him that Stephen was concerned about. We still need to collect him. He might be just fine.” 

It wasn’t said but felt… “But you doubt it.”


	69. Chapter 69

Brigid surveyed the Bookstore. Allison, Lydia and Morgana were handling most of the store and staying as far away from the back as possible. Etienne was back there unloading the Shipment of Doom that had just come in. Unexpected. Evidently someone got some fine print past Chris and he was less than… He was creatively unhappy. She would just as soon that he stay over Melissa’s. That was her thought as she watched a sweaty Etienne walk through. “Shower, change, back to Melissa.” 

He was truly a man of few words. 

Alex and Miss Kitty were busy with the Seven Scents jars. Alex was filling and Miss Kitty was sitting with her paw on the next jar to make sure it didn’t escape before Alex could use it. Alex’s explanation; not her imagination. Odd but it seemed to work for them. And she would never again ask what Miss Kitty was doing. 

From the way Sam suddenly stiffened, something happened next door. It was the ozone charge of a coming storm. She looked over at Peter who had his head tilted, it was such a Chris movement it made her smile. 

He looked at her. “Max.”   
“What’s wrong?”  
“Not sure. It’s not him. Someone he knows. AuntTory is there. It will get handled.”   
“Is there something we should do?”

Peter walked next door. It seemed forever before he came back. “Dean and Max are back in the kitchen. A friend of Max’s is missing. AuntTory is bringing someone that knows more. Etienne has gone to talk to Ares who runs the gym in question. We wait. We go on with our lives. We take care of the customers in the store. We wait.” 

Brigid frowned. “Isn’t there something we can DO?”  
“Max is upset. But he is steady. Dean is close by. Max is leaning on him. Scott and Stiles are getting ready to hunt. They are readying the ones who have spoken to them, willing to help look for the one that is missing. They just need a picture and a scent. He will be found.” 

“Why? What is going on?”  
“That is what we are waiting to find out. Someone evidently told tales of there being job openings in the gym that Ares owns. Hiring humans to work with the humans. Doubtful. Ares doesn’t dislike humans but he doesn’t love them so much that he is going to go out and get more. Max is upset. Dean and AuntTory will see that it’s…managed.” 

“I dreamed about Dean last night.”   
Peter looked at her. Surprise and amusement. “Can they be shared in public? Those dreams?”

Brigid poked him gently in the side. “It was from back when Alex and I started coming to the Courtyard. When it first opened. It has been. It has been so many dramas back that I had forgotten about a great deal of it. I didn’t know them. Dean was Pretty Wolf-boy for the longest in my head. I never heard his name. I heard Melissa’s. She was kind enough to use Christopher’s name often. She can’t speak French worth a damn. I thought his mother named him Chris-toff Michelle when she used his ‘you are about to die’ name. Really? Who names their boy-child Michelle? Then I found out it was Christopher Michael.”

She shook herself. “I had not so much forgot as it got covered over by all of the other things that were going on. All the petty, ugly things. All the reasons that I wanted away and out of there. Covered over but not too much. Alex and I always thought of this place as a sanctuary. Somewhere we could go that we could rest for awhile till we had to go back and face dealing with all the crap.” 

“I had forgotten how kind, in his own way, Dean is. How protective. How much he watched out for us and over us.” 

“He would probably never forgive me for saying it but Chris has a really sweet side. He was the one that took it upon himself to get Alex the Primary composition books that he likes the best. In fact, he found some that are even nicer than the ones Alex favored. He only charges Alex what it costs him. He was the first male Alex ever voluntarily hugged. He was one of the few males that Alex didn’t cringe from when he suddenly squatted by the table to ask Alex something. It was usually about Alex’s supply of books or coloring pencils.” 

Brigid felt the tears start to brim in her eyes. “Chris was one of the few if not the only male that touched Alex with gentleness. With tenderness and I think even affection. A Wolfgard is kinder to him than his own family. How pitiful is that?”

Peter put his arms around her. “I need to look at the phase of the moon. It’s either the dark or the full.” 

Brigid laughed. “Probably. It could be an eclipse of the full moon. That would cover both and explain the level of crazy. Now. On to lighter things. What was it that actually happened back there? What crashed. How much broke?” 

“Nothing broke. Exactly. Chris ‘drove’ the load of totes into the tables he had set up for another Meeting Of Greatness that he plans on having. They went skidding across the floor. Chris dropped the handle of the pallet jack to get it to stop and it landed on his foot. His feet are highly sensitive. You rub them just right and he turns into this most amazing puddle puppy. It’s adorable. I’ll teach you so when he snarls at you; you can just smile because you are seeing the puddle puppy instead of the snarling wolf.”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”  
“Of course, all of my ideas are good ideas. Admittedly, some are better than others.” 

Brigid snickered. “The ones that don’t get you hit too hard?”  
He nipped her ear. “Sweet, innocent little brattling. Sometimes a bit of pain makes the pleasure more intense.”   
“Changing the subject now.” 

“Fine. Mon poulet. Tell me what you remembered from when you first started coming to the Courtyard. Chris. Melissa. Pretty Wolf-boy. Who else did you meet that you didn’t have a name for?”  
“You are going to give Dean shit about ‘Pretty Wolf-boy’. Aren’t you?”  
“Would I do that?”  
“In a heartbeat.”   
“True. So distract me. Tell me a story of a human visits the Courtyard.”   
“Distract you or is this to distract me?”  
“Ever heard of killing two birds with one stone?”  
“Heard of yes. Went hunting with a slingshot…nope.” 

“This will be your chance to be a great huntress then. Story time. Get to talking"


	70. Chapter 70

It stuck with Sam. The story he could hear Brigid telling Peter about the first time she had seen a real Wolf. Not on television. Not what the human’s called a wolf but the Other version. 

He watched over the Bookstore and kept an eye and ear on the Café. But that didn’t require all of his attention. He heard the story she told from her side. He remembered his impressions. 

For Dean it was her hair that he kept talking about. How like soft fire it was. He jokingly called her a Fire Witch. She was… different. 

For him, it had been the way she smelled. It wasn’t just a one-note scent. There were the other smells from where she came from that were layered over her and the boy-child. The medicine smell that the humans had when they went to that hurting place. That was on the boy more than her. When he came in smelling like that…he was small and quiet. 

She was a good mother. He didn’t understand why she would take the boy to the Hurting Place. It didn’t seem to make him better. Some of the things that Stiles had made him drink had been nasty to revolting. He did understand that sometimes healing was painful. But he was smelling more pain than healing. Maybe he should talk Stiles out of a jar of PainEase and drop it in her lap. 

She was soft. She was fierce. She was protective of her boy-child. Even though she brought him to a Courtyard. A place for Others. The humans’ places were outside the Courtyard. But it had been decided that the humans could come. Maybe they could see the humans as more than clever monkeys. And blind, stupid people of Namid. They had forgotten how to see and hear. They were deaf, blind and oh so dumb for all the talk, talk, talk. 

She was different. She would fight for her child but she wasn’t a fighter. It wasn’t the first thing that she reached for. She didn’t go for weapons; she went for words. But watching her, he could see how those words could be weapons. He saw it with the rude humans that told her how to raise the boy but offered only cutting words and no thoughts of help. “If it were me…” the human said. Brigid had just looked at the woman so cold. Waiting till the blustering female had stopped yapping at her.  
“Did it ever occur to you to ask WHY I would consider here better than home?”  
The human woman’s other shape, if she were to have one, would be a cow. 

Brigid turned her back on the woman. She went back to talking softly to the boy-child cuddled against her. 

Sam didn’t like the loud, stinky cow-woman. He moved in between her and Brigid. The woman moved away in fear. Stinky, stinky cow-woman now. She and her herd moved on to the Café to feed their bellies. 

Today was a Sad Day for the woman and the boy-child. They smelled all over of the Hurting Place. Those were never good days. 

He moved over closer than he had ever ventured before. The humans were afraid of him in this shape. Very afraid. They were wary of his size when he was in skin but in fur… he reminded them too much of the Wild that was outside their little areas of safety. The fact that for all their arrogance and bluster, they were not at the top of the food chain. 

He didn’t mind when the humans that came to the Bookstore were afraid. He didn’t want the soft woman and the boy-child to be afraid of him. 

He moved closer to the boy-child. Cautious of the mother that was more than willing to try to kick his ass.  
Boy-child was having a bad day. A very bad day. Hold up in den and lick wounds kind of day. Poor cubling. He didn’t even have a proper tongue to lick things better. 

Sam crouched slightly to see them. Thinking. 

She shifted positions to make the boy-child more comfortable and realized Sam was there and close. 

“Oooohhhhh. You Beauty you.” Her eyes were wide with a kind of wonder as she breathed the words more than said them. Then she blinked. More cautious now. Not for herself but for the vulnerable child. 

She saw him. Even the Darkness inside him and still thought that he was beautiful. 

He laid down flat and giving up dignity he rolled over on his back and waved his paws in the air like a puppy. Anyone that gave him any shit about it was going to be re-growing part of their ass. His brother included. 

It worked. The boy-child started smiling and the woman relaxed. They didn’t try to come closer to him. Didn’t think that they could suddenly just start petting him. They did look at his beautiful coat of fur and massive size with the proper admiration. He liked them. They could stay. He would watch over them. Dean could be right, not that he would ever tell the little asshole. They were different. They could stay.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

Brigid was sitting the couch in the kitchen looking at the last of her lunch that Melissa had sent over. She didn’t want the ChocolateBites. She never thought that she would see the day that she was burned out on chocolate.

The tap of nails on the floor let her know that Sam was there. It was funny how that sound came and went. He didn’t always make noise when he walked. The nail sound reminded her of someone dragging their feet when they walked. Announcing his presence. 

She had taken her shoes off and was sitting with her legs crossed. She watched Sam. She was curious as to why he was in the kitchen in fur. She didn’t know him that well. They might have spent a good deal of time in the same room but that meant little. He interacted with Alex more than he did with her. So when he came over and put his head on her knee it was rather startling.  
“What do you want?” She looked at the treat in her hand. “I don’t think that Wolves can have chocolate.” 

He picked his head up off of her knee and sat. 

She sort of expected him to do something like give her puppy eyes. She didn’t remotely have in mind what he did. He shifted. It was an almost indescribable feeling to be so close to him while that happened. 

Almost as indescribable as having a very large, very naked male squatting in front of her. She did keep her eyes above the waist. 

He went to one knee and reached out to pull her closer.  
Brigid remained passive. She had no idea what the fuck was going on. Freaking and struggling would be a stupid option to take. He had never hurt her. She wasn’t afraid…exactly.

He leaned in and rubbed his face slowly against her chest. His eyes were closed but his mouth was open slightly. Back and forth several times before he backed up slightly and opened his eyes to look at her. 

OH HOLY SHIT! Brigid looked into his dark brown eyes and those were the only semi-coherent words that would come. Stupid came out pretty quick though. “You can have the chocolate.” Brigid offered him the small bowl. 

He opened his mouth.  
“Are you serious?” She was not hand-feeding him while he was in skin. Just no. Seriously. NO! Not doing it. She could outwait him. She had a small child. She knew how to be patient. Stand her ground. Be stubborn.. ohfuckit. 

He was more patient that she was.  
There was only so long she could resist. He was large and warm and had she mentioned naked? It was the naked part that just made her fold. She fed him the ChocolateBites one by one. 

Once he finished, he moved back from her and shifted. He trotted out of the room sneezing on Peter’s jeans as he passed. 

Brigid looked at Peter. “What was that?”  
Peter shrugged with both hands out in a ‘hell if I know’ gesture. “Scent marking?”

“Scent marking? Why would he scent mark me? The face rubbing on what cleavage I do have is more than a little disconcerting.”  
“He could have pissed on you.”  
“Rubbing his face on my boobs suddenly doesn’t seem so bad at all.” 

She would think about it later. She took the bowl back to the Café, washed her hands from the Sam spit, and went back to work. He had tasted her fingers as much as he had licked the ChocolateBites before he had taken them from her. That had been… not a work safe image. 

Not when there were a bunch around her that gave ‘nosy’ a whole new level of meaning.


	71. Waiting Sucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to put up the pictures I did. Sorry. 
> 
>   <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Ares_bio.jpg>
> 
> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/hadrian_bio.jpg>
> 
> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/Kenneth_bio.jpg> 
> 
> <http://www.thepatys.com/calcasieu/stephen_bio.jpg>

The stores closed and the last of the customers were herded out. There weren’t that many. Brigid had the sneaking suspicion that there was a large hunting party going on in the Courtyard. Not the happy beer and snacks kind. More like blood and guts. 

Chris and Peter came from the back. She just looked at them. They looked hot and sweaty. Vampires sweated. Nicely too. Guess Peter was right. He wasn’t a….vampire. He could put an amazing amount of distain into a word. Drag it out like he was from the South too. Va-um-pie-your. It sort of lost any cool points when it put her giggling till she nearly peed herself to hear him say it that way. She wasn’t explaining why it was so funny either. 

They had been going to go but Steve of all people pointed out that it would leave the Bookstore and Café in a vulnerable position with some of their best fighters gone. 

Morgana, Lydia and Allison had given him very unfriendly looks. Other kind of not feeling friendly which was a little more serious than being ‘unfriended’ by a human.  
Steve nodded. “Yes. They probably don’t think of you as fighters. That is why you can hamstring them from behind as they are focusing on the males as the obvious danger. Make sure you get all of the information you can out of them before you…take care of them. Fear works and works well. Pain and torture only makes them lie to make the pain stop. That isn’t viable as an interrogation technique.” 

And now the females were just all smiles at him. AuntTory and Melissa included. Brigid just glossed over that part in her mind. No wonder the males thought that females were scary. She was female and the looks of predatory anticipation on their faces… wow. Epic PMS vicious. 

She had heard Ares when Etienne had brought him through the Cafe. He had a booming voice that reminded her of distant thunder. Deep and rumbling and could bring blessed rain or lightening. He seemed in a rather lightening frame of mind. 

Steve was quieter. Deadlier. It was as if he had left his civilized façade behind as he passed through the Courtyard opening. AuntTory was the same. 

Brigid could see very clearly now ‘when diplomacy failed’ from the both of them. She would have thought that the only thing they had in common was the blond hair. She was wrong. They came through the Bookstore opening for some reason, nodded at her then went to the Café. She couldn’t hear what happened after that. None of her ‘ears’ were available to give her updates. She would just have to suck it up and wait. She loathed waiting. It made her feel helpless and useless. Give her something to do and she was fine. She would just have to find something to do. Taking care of the Bookstore had kept her occupied till now. Her mind was all over the place. Dear Mother Night? Is this what it was like for Stiles? 

Think Brigid..think. 

They were going to do a rescue. They would need a place to bring him/them and take care of them. She was praying for only a couple at the most. Just one or two that had been captured. The rest hadn’t fallen for their crap or had gotten away. 

The couch in the kitchen. Central location. There was a shower in the private bathroom. They would need a change of clothes. Food. Something soothing to drink. Melissa would handle that part. What could she do? 

Morgana would be able to guess what Stiles would need to treat injuries. “Morgana, could I speak to you for a moment please?”

That got the attention of everyone left. Okay fine. “Let’s get the stores shut down. I would think that they will be bringing some people back. They may be injured as well. We need to get out and ready what we think that they might need. Better to have it and not need it than to frantically try to find it when time is of the essence.” 

“We can put them in the kitchen. It’s downstairs. Central location. Not seen from the front. Can be isolated. Private bathroom if they are able to stand up in the shower. They will need clean clothes. We only have the one couch. Do you think we will need more? Someone may need to stay with whoever. We will need something for them to stretch out on.”

“Oh! The twin bed before Dad got the daybed and trundle in his hide out. It’s still back there leaning against a wall. Lydia and I can go get that and make it up while Morgana goes and gets the healing supplies.” Allison motioned to Lydia who followed her complaining. But not that loudly or seriously. “I am not a minion or flunky. Don’t even think it.” 

They made very short work of the registers and locking thing up and down. 

“Crap. Only Stiles can raise the night wards. That was an oversight.”  
Brigid looked blankly at Chris. “Oh shit. You’re right.” She looked around. “It would be helpful but I don’t think it is necessary. We have his regular wards up.” 

She didn’t mention they had Allison, Lydia, Morgana, and Melissa who were all still in stand-by-PMS-kick-ass mode. Morgana alone was a force to be reckoned with but adding the other females? 

Mouse… ohholyshit…Mouse wasn’t alone in there.. Brigid blinked away the image of something else that was lurking behind Mouse’s eyes. The person that they didn’t have a name for. The unknown and wasn’t that the most dangerous? When you didn’t know exactly what they were capable of doing? When you stare into the Abyss; sometimes the Abyss stares back!? Moving on. 

Max who had proved that he was no slouch when it came to standing his ground and defending.  
Dean who had years of hunting experience.  
Sam who… she had wondered about Sam who stayed in fur. She knew that he had hunted with his brother. But was that all that he did? All that he was? There was a Darkness in him. Not evil just…he had been…touched by something. Not someone…something. It had changed him. Maybe the fur made him less scary. And wasn’t that a very not good on a dark night thought? 

Chris and Peter. If there were ever two that were born and bred to wreak havoc it was those two. 

Brigid put her head down and snickered then suddenly sobered. If they had this much bad-ass on the side she was on and hopefully it was the ‘good’ side…what could the other side bring to bear? No thinking. Thinking thoughts weren’t happy good things to do. Doing. She needed to get to doing and stop thinking. She tended to scare the crap out of herself when she started thinking. 

“Okay. What’s our plan?” She threw that and listened to how creative the Pack could get. Add devious, cunning and wow that was down-right twisted from Peter. There was something coming. She had chosen where she wanted to stand. To make her stand. This and these people were her choice. Her Pack. Her Family. Family is everything.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

Alex was tired. She was tired herself. Everyone was scattered around. Still waiting. They needed to get what rest they could for when the others came back.

She could understand that even if she didn’t think that she could sleep. The tappy-tap of Sam’s nails followed them up the stairs to their living quarters. And into their quarters. 

Brigid looked at him. He looked back at her then when over and curled up on a rug. Not to be moved. Not without going back downstairs and getting the pallet jack she didn’t know how to work. 

She and Alex took their showers and put on their night clothes. Alex and Miss Kitty when to his room. Brigid when and crawled into her bed. And stared at the ceiling. Tap. Tap. Tap. Thud. Groan. 

“There is a couch in the living room. You can sleep on the couch. Hopefully you don’t shed too bad.”  
There was no tappy tap of toenails going back out of the room.  
“The floor has got to be hard. Really. I know there is a rug but that’s not much padding to sleep on. The couch would be much more comfortable.” Would logic work on a male that had something in his tiny little brain? Oh..that was the other head..sex head. Sam generally used the bigger head. She thought anyway. And still no tappy tap of nails. She looked. Yep. He was still laying on the hard, cold floor. Damnit. 

“Oh fine. You can sleep on the bed. Let me give you one warning. I wake up to a naked man in my bed and there will be serious freaking. Not of the ‘ohyeah, my prayers have been answered kind’ either. So if you shift to skin in your sleep I suggest that you let me know now. Maybe, and I’m not promising a damn thing, the hysteria will be a little less and you will have hearing left in the ear that I’m not screaming into.” 

He went into a seizure. She panicked. Started to yell for help. Realized that the asshole was laughing. She had a feather pillow and knew how to use it. That first smack got his attention. Seriously got his attention. Ohshit. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all. 

Till his front end went down and his ass went up in the air. He wanted to play. He got hold of her fleece pajama bottoms. Well that just tore it. In a couple of ways. It was on!

Brigid gave a good accounting of herself. She was quick. She was queen of the pillow-swats! He would dart by and she would smack him. Till she missed and they both went down in a tangle of limbs. No snapping of bones. No screaming. It was all good. Just one very dead pillow that had been gutted on that last swing. She was going to be picking up feathers for days. Days. 

Praise be he was the one that landed on bottom! He would have squashed her flatter than a pancake! 

Brigid lay sprawled across the massive black wolf gasping for air. Her not him. He was barely breathing hard..the jerk. 

She waved weakly at Miss Kitty who was sitting at the entrance to her bedroom. Looking at the floating feathers. One of which landed on her hairless head like some sort of decoration. She just needed a headband to go with it and she would be set…maybe the Sewing Club? 

Miss Kitty was not amused. She gave a Sneeze of Distain and turned with tail held high and Brigid guessed she walked away and went back to Alex. Once Miss Kitty started to turn, Brigid looked away. There wasn’t enough brain bleach in the world to erase the trauma of some sights. It was bad enough from the front or side view…but from the rear….shudder. No. Just No. 

There was a gagging sound from Sam. He must not have looked away quick enough. That would teach him to be quicker on the uptake. 

Brigid levered herself slowly and carefully off the floor. “If you stay in fur all night you can sleep on the bed. Just leave me most of it. If you shift to skin when you sleep it had better be on the couch. Move it.” 

Sam made himself comfortable on the end of the bed. 

Who knew. The big, bad wolf whined when you used him as a foot warmer.


	72. Who Knew?

It was the ass-crack of dawn when something woke her up. Sam had moved and his back was against hers. Evidently her cold feet on his belly had just been too tough for a Wolfgard to deal with. 

She had slept through him moving around and getting comfortable. He was warm. The minute that she had woken up and just lay there against him feeling him breathe had been nice. Maybe this was what it was like with a male that you actually wanted somewhere close to you. Warm and comfortable. For a few seconds she wondered what it would be like to curl up next to him in skin rather than fur? The thought passed. 

She could feel him getting off the bed. She got up and followed him. Miss Kitty had Alex. The grey fog barrier was up. That was probably for the best. She didn’t know how much help she would be much less a five year old boy. Let him sleep through it. 

She had stepped off the last stair as the last of the stragglers had congregated in the area of the kitchen. Stiles raising the wards was what had woke her up she realized now. 

They brought Kenneth into the kitchen. He was bleeding and she looked away. She knew that he had been hurt and terrified and she could very much…that was a flashback moment that she was just going to put off. Maybe next decade. 

Morgana and Stiles started working on him. Just cutting off what clothes he had left. He was mainly wrapped in a blanket anyway. Getting him cleaned up so they could see the damage. 

Brigid left them to it. She would just be in the way. She watched to see if there was anything she could do to help. 

Watching gave her a real feeling for Stephen or Steve depending on if it was Max calling him by name or most of the rest. She wondered if he were slightly bipolar of just … nevermind, not going there. There was the face that he tried to present of reasonable, sane, stable and someone that you would want to hire for your business. The oh-so-civilized part. 

Then there was the part that wasn’t. The side of him that even though he was human, supposedly, she wasn’t as sure of the dividing line between Other and human as she once was, had more in common with the Wofgard philosophy of ‘hurt one of mine and I’ll rip apart two of yours’. It had been there somewhat in that first brief meeting. Now..it was fully out and not going back in the bottle anytime soon. 

Oh-holy-crap… the very brief glance she got at Ares and Steve shirtless. Their clothes had gotten dirty, bloody and torn. It was more of a burn than clean and repair. All that lovely tanned skin…dear Mother Night have mercy on a woman’s hormones…all that skin. And rippling muscles. Yes, yes. She would be happy to find them something to wear…oh dear me…did they have anything in…muscular? 

“Stop drooling over them and go and get the extra large sweatshirts we put out.” Peter poked her.   
She poked him back. “I wasn’t drooling.”   
“Well I was trying to be polite..slavering like they were a hunk of meat isn’t generally the image you want to convey.”   
Brigid’s next poke wasn’t gentle at all as she hurried to the table where they had gathered, laundered and put out clothes. She could hear the snickering behind her. Oh well. They looked like they could really use a laugh or several. It had been grim. Frustration and exhaustion was in every line of their faces and bodies. 

Clean sweats and socks and a hot shower with clean towels. She would never take the laundry in the back of the Bookstore for granted again. She had wondered why someone would have put one in. She didn’t wonder any more. Sometimes life was just messy. 

And maybe extra-extra large would have been better…oh wow did those sweats ever…fit. Melissa was happy to take them by the…hand and lead them over to the Café to feed them and get warm drinks down them. 

Scott went back upstairs and got clean clothes for himself and Stiles. He showered and changed up there. Brigid watched him when he came back down. The way he moved. The way he held himself. He was different. Something was settling into place. All sorts of things seemed to have snapped when Peter bit him. They were beginning to find their place…the ties and anchors. The next few months were going to be very interesting. 

Max was a hand-wringer. Literally. When he was worried he made this hand-washing motion. He was very worried over Kenneth.

They had done what they could for Kenneth and now he was sleeping. He had several broken fingers on both hands. That meant he would need help with most everything. They beat the shit out of him. But she heard the whispers of relief. They hadn’t raped him. He could and would recover physically. They would make sure of that. That was the easy part. 

He was on the bed in the kitchen. They had closed the gates to give him more of a feeling of security. He would be staying there for awhile. Moving only as needed till he healed some. They were drawing up some sort of schedule to make sure that there was always someone close by. He would be in some ways helpless till his hands healed. 

She never understood why some people did what they did to others. How they could be so cruel. What made them turn so sick and twisted? Why? It was a question she had asked for a long time and never gotten an answer for. Why are you trying to hurt me? What did I do to you? 

Sometimes, there are no good answers for why people do the things they do.

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Max stayed near Kenneth as the others went to get cleaned up and fed. He and his guilt wouldn’t be moving anytime soon. Brigid looked at Dean and decided he had a plan in that pretty Wolf-boy head of his. She would just leave him to it.

Brigid followed Stiles when he came out of the bathroom. She waited till he had something to eat and drink then looked at him with her most pleading expression. 

He sighed. “He was the only one there. Literally, the only one there. Someone had alerted whoever was holding him. There were signs of a very hasty departure. Like they were going out the back door just before we came in the front. There was food on the table and it was still warm.” 

“It was like a warehouse. It took us a little time to find him. He was in the back. They had him in a fucking cage. I thought he was dead. He was so battered and still. When we opened the door to the cage he crawled further into the corner and begged.” Stiles eyes began to glow. He took a deep breath. Then another. “We got him out. He recognized Steve. He realized we were there to get him and take him home. It was better after that. We had other hunters that came in about then. The assholes had sprayed some sort of perfume crap everywhere. It was like they bombed the building with it. We couldn’t get a good scent. That was one reason it took us so long to find him.” 

“They had been scouting around outside. We suck at tracking cars. Vehicles. There were scents all over and we couldn’t pick out who was one of the assholes that would be… Who were the assholes and who were the non-assholes. There were these humans hanging close by but they ran when we got near. Steve called it a ‘slum’. It is where the unwanted of the humans tend to congregate. Not all of them are salvageable at this point.” 

“But anyway, the damn building was on the other side of the Courtyard. That’s the only reason we didn’t burn it to the ground. But we know about it now. We know it is there and we watch. They look for people in skin. We are many and very few will watch in skin. We will find them. They will crawl back like roaches to some tasty treat and then…”

“But in the meantime we have those of our own to care for. I know enough. Morgana knows more than I do about humans. We can fix him and not take him to the Hurting Place for humans. He is afraid of it anyway.”

Steve sat up. “I can’t pay much right now. I’m not sure that I have a job anymore. I have some money saved up but not all that much.” 

Stiles looked at him. “You quit?”

“Not exactly. Screaming at your supervisor about what was bullshit and what was actually important doesn't generally make for good performance reviews in the human world. Someone had slid a message under my apartment door that Kenneth was in danger. I went in and tried to explain. They didn’t care. Told me that he was just a worthless retard. I kind of lost it then.”

Ares spoke up. “As well you should. The Always Children are special. They see the Mother in a way we cannot. They hear Her whispers. They are to be cared for and cherished all the days they live. You are well to be rid of that place.” 

Steve gave a brief laugh. “Yeah. But it paid the rent and the bills. Yes, I believe in standing by my convictions but it’s still kind of a bitch when it leaves you jobless and homeless.” 

“You are an idiot. But you say you do paperwork. That was part of the job that the Company of Small Dicks had you doing. I have paperwork that needs…doing. It breeds. I sort it and it still breeds. I even have tried filing it and there is still more paper on my desk in the morning. There is a breeding place called my “In-box” that is…they are dangerously prolific. Dangerously. You will have a job doing paperwork and whatever else I can find to dump in your lap that I don’t like to do. You can sleep in the small living quarters over the Gym. You have a job. You have a home. See? Life is good. You still work for an asshole but I’m a charming asshole.” Ares smiled brightly at him. 

Melissa put a little more Brandy in Steve’s drink. There was a tinge of hysteria in his laugh. 

Chris leaned forward and captured Steve’s gaze. Literally. He cupped the young man’s face in his hands. “Idiot child. Kenneth will be taken care of. He is part of Max’s pack. Max is part of our Pack. Pack takes care of Pack. That now includes one blond idiot child.” 

That left Steve blinking back tears and looking at the thick soup that he was stirring. 

Conversation eddied and swirled, allowing him time to get his emotions back under control. 

“Who left the note for Steve? Who told the assholes that we were coming?” Stiles asked the question that they were pretty much all thinking. 

“I don’t know if the individual that warned them did us a favor or them. It allowed them to escape from us when we rescued Kenneth. But it also prevented bloodshed outside the Courtyard. By Wolfgard. That would have been very bad. For everyone. It would have caused more problems than it would have satisfied bloodlust. We need to take a more long range view. We watch. We wait. We make sure that things are discussed only among the trusted. Not where are those that were unknown, be they Other or Human, would overhear. We can be patient when necessary. It is in our nature. Wait and watch for our prey then strike and strike hard.” Peter looked at the nods of agreement around the room. And smiled. And to think, he had been so bored just a few months ago wondering if his life would ever have excitement and meaning again. Who knew?


	73. Chapter 73

Max napped on the couch. Every time Kenneth stirred and moaned he would get up and watch to see if he needed anything. 

Kenneth wasn’t really awake. Stiles and Morgana had smeared enough Herbals on him and got liquids down him when he was awake that he wouldn’t be surfacing any time soon. 

They told him that. He believed that. He did. But he needed to be there when Kenneth did wake up. It wouldn’t make up for not being there for him when he needed Max. But…

“Max-in-a-million…quit being a broody hen.” Kenneth’s voice was hoarse and rasping.  
“Oh fuck. Are you alright? Of course you’re not alright. Can I get you anything? What can I do?” 

Kenneth managed to shift slightly over to the side. “Fuck that hurts.”  
Max hovered. “What do you need?”  
“Sit down. Quit fluffing your feathers. I’m not going to croak anytime soon.”

Max sat. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”  
“What for?”  
“I forgot you. This is all my fault.” 

“Maximum, I’ve heard the words that you can use every day. Never took you for the dummy.”  
“Do. Not. EVER. Use that word again. You are not a dummy. You are the best and kindest person I’ve ever known.” Max’s eyes filled. “And I’m so very sorry.”

Kenneth managed to get an arm up. “Come here you big girl.”  
Max was taller and wider than Kenneth but that meant nothing. He just folded and put his forehead on Kenneth’s chest like a child seeking comfort.  
Kenneth put his arm across Max’s back. “It’s all good Maxie. It’s all good. You’re here now. You found me. It’s all good. I love you Maximillian. I’ll always love you. No matter what. You’re my one-in-a-million Max. Who thinks I’m great just the way I am. Lay down beside me and go to sleep. I can shove you off the bed if I need anything. Go to sleep Maxi-mine. It’s all good.” 

Stiles backed away and put his back to the wall. He slowly slid down. He couldn’t even explain why there were tears on his face. He had moved to see what Kenneth would need when he heard that voice. Damaged by screaming. He knew the sounds of vocal abuse like that. Kenneth was in a great deal of pain but his first instinct was to comfort Max. 

Offer him a hand to keep him from drowning in guilt. Such a person was definitely going to be an asset to the Pack.

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The Café opened at 9:00 a.m. as usual. That was the only typical thing about the morning. No one had slept all that well. They were tired and cranky. Chris came through at 10:00 a.m. He took a look around. There were no customers in the Bookstore. He flipped the sign to Closed and locked the doors. He slapped a sign under the Closed sign.

“I’m tired, cranky and want to rip someone’s throat out.  
Think about if you want to come banging on my door for something to read.  
Come back tomorrow morning.”  
Chris

He closed the gates between the Café and the Bookstore and put another sign up there. It was greeted with silence. The customers in the Café looked at Melissa who looked to be in no better frame of mind.

She was looking at that sign very thoughtfully. “I am not the only person in the Courtyard that knows how to cook. They will not starve if I, personally, do not feed them. Fuck this. I’m going back to bed.” 

The customers got up, cleaned up after themselves, and headed out the door.  
Scott happily locked the door after them. Stuck up a sign that read…

“I am not the only person in the Courtyard that knows how to cook.  
You will not starve if I, personally, do not feed you.  
Fuck this. I’m going back to bed.”  
Melissa

Food was put away for later. Lights were turned off. 

Alex and Miss Kitty would watch Kenneth for the first four hour shift. They had slept good. Sam was nearby to help Kenneth with anything that Alex couldn’t manage. The more personal matters besides a drink of water. Water in; water out. 

Dean drug Max out by the back of his shirt once Kenneth had sighed as deeply as he could and told Max to go to bed. Bed not couch and jumping up every time he moved. Laying beside him fretting for a couple of hours didn’t count. 

Kenneth looked at Dean the best he could. His eyes were partially swollen shut. “You like him, like him?”  
Dean looked kind of baffled.  
“Dean and I are working on a relationship. Yes.”  
“When he sounds like a poncy prat, what does that mean? Dean?”

Dean moved closer. “Why are you asking?”  
“How well can you take care of him? Would be good to know since he rather likes you.”  
“How do you know? You have only been here for a few hours and unconscious for most of them.”  
“Contrary to some public opinion, I may not be the greatest at reading and my writing leaves a lot to be desired, but I am far from stupid.”  
“Meaning.”  
“I’ve known Maximillian for several years. Watched him. Learned him. He likes you. He’s guilting himself into an ulcer over something that he had no part of and couldn’t have prevented even if he and I had talked that day. You figure out how to get him to sleep?”  
Dean was blinking and flushing slightly. “Uh.” 

Kenneth shifted and swore. “I hurt. I really fucking hurt. We are going to make this short so pay attention. Hold him. No sex. No fucking. No blowjobs. Kissing is fine. Not the kind where you stick your tongue down someone’s throat. That’s not kissing that’s just… Anyway. Wrap around him, hold him. Kisses on the back of his neck and shoulders. Hold hands. He’ll go to sleep. Think you can manage?” There was a definite challenge in that tone. One that said that Kenneth was willing to step up if Dean didn’t give the right answer.  
“Probably. I’ll let you know in the morning.”  
“Fair enough. Go away. I hurt. I want to pass out now. Night.” He closed his eyes and his breathing slowed. 

Stiles crashed on the couch in the Sewing Club room. Close at hand if they needed him. They had a schedule of the Herbals that he would need. Wake him up to give them to Kenneth.  
Stiles wanted to monitor him as closely as possible. They could smear as much PainEase on him as possible and not have him slide off the bed. He brought up some just for that purpose. 

Stiles raised the War Wards. Black flames flickering around the doors and windows plus Miss Kitty’s charming face scowling out at them from behind the glass convinced most of the customers not to disturb what was slumbering inside. 

The morning passed quietly. Except for the snoring of some very tired males. Which was anything but quiet.

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It could be considered late afternoon or early evening before anyone was truly conscious. Bleary eyed with interesting hair they wandered into the Café kitchen to find something to eat then over to the Bookstore to sit and stare at each other while the life giving elixir of coffee was making. It was the restorer of brain function.

“Stiles? Miss Kitty says that there is someone outside for you.” Alex informed Stiles once he had about six swallows of coffee.  
Stiles squinted. “Miss Kitty says there is someone outside for me?”  
Alex nodded.  
Stiles looked at Brigid.  
She shook her head. “Ask once. You won’t ask again. Just go with it.” 

Stiles went to the door and looked out. Hadrian. He didn't know the guy but he had heard of him. Before Morgana had told him what she knew of Hadrian. They weren't in the same circles but they knew OF each other. “Well shit! How long has he been out there?”  
Alex shrugged. “Not long. I don’t know why he is sitting on the hood of the car instead of in the car though. He likes the sun. The cold doesn’t seem to bother him.”  
“No. This wouldn’t be cold to him. Damn. I need keys. Where are the keys. Oh.” Stiles took the keys Chris handed him and opened the front door. 

A young man with bright green eyes hopped off of the hood of the car and strolled up to the doorway. “Nice work. I see that the two of you managed not to kill or maim yourselves working on the wards.”  
“Love you too.” Stiles reached out through the black flames and held out his hand to the young man. 

Who looked at it thoughtfully before he clasped it and allowed Stiles to pull him inside. “That was interesting.”  
“You have no idea. I want more coffee before I’m up for this. Come on. We can find you something to eat and drink.” 

They made a detour at the sounds of muttered cursing. Alex and Miss Kitty were watching Kenneth. He had managed to sit up and was on the side of the bed panting shallowly.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Thinking.” 

That wasn’t exactly the response Stiles expected. “About?”  
“How much it is going to hurt trying to get back up off the toilet or letting someone I don’t know hold my dick while I piss.”  
There were snorts of laughter from behind him.  
Kenneth glared in the general direction. “Fuck you. It so happens I am particular about who I let get their hands on my stuff. Unlike some people.”  
“Have you reached a decision?”  
“I want a shower.”

Stiles frowned. “We went from peeing to showering?”  
“Don’t tell me you never peed in the shower.”  
“I won’t.”  
“Great. We both know how. Now someone get me on my feet. I feel just nasty. Yes, you did a great job and I’m grateful for whoever cleaned me up. But I want running water and some soap.”  
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”  
“Nope. Not at all. May have to give up on the idea of soap and just stand there but I want to be clean more than I want to be cautious.” 

“I’ll help him.” Max spoke up. “Come on. Let’s get you to your feet.” He provided something for Kenneth to steady himself against as he maneuvered to his feet and stood there swaying. “Stubborn little shit.”  
“Got it in one.”  
“You ready to move?”  
“No, but if we wait till then we are going to be standing here for awhile.” 

It was a kind of shuffling walk that hurt to watch. But they did finally reach the bathroom. 

Hadrian waited till they could hear the shower running. “What happened to him?”  
“Captured. Assholes. Someone tattled and we found him. Someone else tattled and we didn’t get the chance to kick ass. It was outside the Courtyard. We aren’t sure of the players or even how many teams are in the game at this point.” 

Hadrian nodded. “That always makes it exciting.”  
“They are going to be awhile and I haven’t finished my coffee. Let me move the PainEase into the bathroom so Max can smear more on when he gets out.” Stiles opened the door and put the jar on the sink. “I’ll get another pair of sweats for both of you.”

Stiles closed the door and leaned against it for a few seconds. He shouldered away and then headed upstairs. His sweats would fit Kenneth. He knew where Max kept his clothes.  
Hadrian was at his shoulder pacing him silently.  
“We tried to get all the blood and stuff off of him. We tried.”  
“I know you did.”  
“They beat the fuck out of him.”  
“Yes they did.”  
“I did the best that I could. He’s not Wolfgard. He’s not Other.”  
“I didn’t get a through look at him. When he comes out, I’ll see what I can do if he is willing.”  
“If it would stop him from hurting so bad, I’m fairly sure he would be more than willing. For most anything.”  
“Let’s get them something to put on then. One thing at a time. I’ve found that best.”  
Stiles nodded. 

They were at his living quarters. He opened the door and waved Hadrian in.  
Hadrian leaned against the wall and watched as Stiles found several pairs of sweats for Kenneth. “Morgana filled me in. While she and I have an amiable relationship, Lylith and I do not. I believe that we remind each other of less than kind memories.”  
“You’re telling me this why?”  
“I am in your stronghold. I consider it polite. I prefer politeness and courtesy to pain and cursing. So much easier on the clothing and furniture.”  
“Okay. Sounds like you have had some experience with both.”  
“More than I truly cared for.”  
“Even the politeness and courtesy?”  
“You think that can’t be equally as deadly? Head trips and power games are often played in the most refined of settings.”  
“Not exactly my thing.”  
“Nor mine by choice.” 

Stiles looked into the green, green eyes. “Choices get made for you a lot?”  
“I have had a good deal of assistance in formulating my choices. The favorite gambit seemed to be omitting to inform me that I had a choice.”  
“Sounds pretty shitty.”  
“It rather was. However, it is over now. I have met and exceeded my obligations to that set. My life is my own as much as that is true for anyone.” 

“Does all of this polite chit-chat have a point?”  
“It does.”  
“That point would fucking be?” Stiles gave Hadrian his best smile. The one that let his eyes glow slightly and the Other shine through. 

Hadrian, the asshole, laughed.  
“Seriously dude? One might think you a bit unhinged from that reaction.” 

Hadrian moved in closer. Stiles was taller by a surprising amount. But Hadrian had ‘presence’ when he cared to use it. It wasn’t his physical form; it was what lurked underneath. “One might be right. However the short time that I was close to Kenneth I picked up on something.”  
Stiles found himself crowded against the bed. Hadrian still closing in.  
“The thing about being hit with Dark curses? Even if you manage to shield against most of it? Some of it sticks. It sinks its way into the marrow of your bones. You are never rid of it. It’s there for the rest of your existence. Lurking. Waiting. Wanting. Tend to make people look at you odd. That something under your skin. Because it calls out to the Darkness in others. Everyone has some. Everyone. Do you believe me Stiles?”

Hadrian leaned in closer and Stiles shifted back to lose his balance and land with a huff on the bed. Hadrian followed him down. Crouching over him. “Do you think that I know what Darkness is Stiles?”  
Stiles took a deep breath. “I think you know a lot of things that you wished you didn’t. Again. We need to be back down stairs soon. If you are looking for a quickie you are out of luck. I want wine, dinner and romance first.”  
Hadrian smiled and moved back slightly. “Fine. Kenneth has been touched by Darkness. Some sort of ritual. It wasn’t something that happened while he was captured. This is old. Decades old. It has set deep in his bones and blood. Just thought I would let you know. All part of the service.” Hadrian leaned in slowly and sucked Stiles’ bottom lip into his mouth. He held it lightly with his teeth as he moved back. Stretching the tender flesh till it reached its limit then releasing. Automatically Stiles sucked his stinging lip into his mouth. It didn’t hurt. Exactly. He tasted Hadrian. Dark, complex and compelling. 

“Morgana picked you?”  
Hadrian raised a brow as he moved off the bed. “You don’t think that I’m up for the job?”  
“I thought the idea was NOT to have them traumatized.”  
Hadrian grinned. “Oh but Stiles, that’s not what they would get. I can give then what they need to get through. Comfort, security and reassurance. Companionship for a difficult task.”

“Then what was that?”  
Hadrian smiled and let his eyes shimmer. His black flames weren’t in his wards, they were in his soul. “That’s what I want. That is what interests you. Don’t lie. I can taste it. Smell it. Resistant but still hard and leaking with desire. You might want to shower and change yourself before you come back down. Ta.” He sauntered out of the room. 

“You fucking asshole.”  
Laughter light and amused met his comment.  
Dude was…unhinged. Ironic coming from him but he should fucking know unhinged when it kissed him. Yeah. Shower would be real good about now. And some private time. Seriously. Unhinged. And a fucking amazing kisser. Damn.


	74. Chapter 74

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this section. Think of it like pilot movie. You have the characters. The villians. The start of the adventure. Now the smaller stories can be told.

Kenneth stood shivering in the middle of the Stiles’ workroom surrounded by people staring at him in shock and some horror.  
“Bloody buggering hell.” Hadrian walked around him studying the blood runes that had surfaced when he had cast a healing spell at the other man.  
“I don’t recognize all of those but what I do recognize doesn’t look good.” That came from Stiles. 

“Binding ritual. Not nice or good at all.” Hadrian stopped in front of Kenneth and made eye-contact. “You know. Somewhere in there you know. Now what?”  
“Warlock?” Kenneth’s voice sounded…odd.  
“Close enough.”  
“Finish the binding.”

Hadrian looked deeply into the blue eyes. “And they say I’m unhinged.”  
“Tired. Alone. Other scared. Hurting. Finish it.”  
“It may destroy one of you or both of you.”  
“Finish.”

Max suddenly stepped in front of Kenneth. “Wait. What? Destroy one or both? What are you talking about? This is just not on. No, we are not finishing anything till there has been some calm, rational discussion of what the buggering hell is happening.”  
Kenneth wrapped his arms around Max from behind. “Let it go Maxi-mine. I’m tired of living a half-life. Struggling to do the simplest of things because the two sides of me are floundering still on how to communicate. It was done not long after I was born. They honestly thought I was dead. So they used the body. I wasn’t. We grew and learned. When we were strong enough we left and came here. Tired of being we. Just want to be me. Hadrian can do that Maxi-mine. Please let him.” 

The watchers could see the struggle in Max’s face. “I have always tried to honor your wishes.”  
“I know.”  
“I find this most distressing and distasteful.”  
Kenneth chuckled. “But you will respect my decision. Like you always have.”  
“If you die from this I’ll find someone to bring you back so I can make the rest of your days torment for abandoning me to this lot.”  
“You do that.”  
“Or you could just be obliging for once in your misbegotten life and not die.”  
“That’s the plan. Now move Maximillian. Go over and hover by Dean and let him hold you. It will make him feel better. You make quite a good cuddly.” 

Max turned and gave Kenneth a desperate kiss. Pressed their foreheads together for a moment then straightened and walked over to Dean. Who held him tightly. 

Hadrian raised a containment circle. He knew the spell to cast. More than anything it just made him tired of living that when faced with something like this, he knew what to do. He gathered the knowledge, will, the desire to be free and to be whole…and cast. 

Something blazed up and filled the circle. They could hear the screams. It was all that Dean could do even with Stiles’ help to stop Max from rushing forward. Just as it looked like he was amazingly enough going to win free. The screaming stopped. 

The flames died.  
The containment circle dropped to the ground and disappeared. 

Leaving behind a huddled, naked body.  
They let Max go then. He dropped to the hard-earthen floor and carefully reached out to touch. “Kenneth?” He touched the bare shoulder.  
“That. Was a mother-fucker.”  
Max looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

“Your gutter mouth still works.”  
“Let’s see what else works. Help me get up off this floor. Clothes would be nice. Winter is not the time to let it all hang out.” 

Stiles tossed him a pair of sweats. “We really need to get you some clothes.”  
“Not right now. I’m not moving that much. But I have things at Steve’s place.” He stopped and frowned. “Or I did.” 

“He gathered everything up and it was all taken to the apartment over the gym. It was just kind of a grab and go thing.” Dean volunteered. “I bet he would be happy to grab some stuff to bring to you.”  
Kenneth nodded and leaned against Max as he carefully put on the sweats. 

The signs of the beating were gone. There were faint scars that could only be seen in the right light from the ritual. He was moving like an old man but he was alive.  
“I’m kinda hungry.”  
Max smiled. “That I can do something about. Let’s get you upstairs. I’ll make something special.”  
“Go ahead. You get started. I need just a little bit to get my feet back under me. Stiles knows how to guard-dog. I’ll be fine. Go and create miracles in the kitchen. It will make us all feel better.”  
Max studied him then grabbed Dean by the hand. “Come on. I’ve got some ideas. You can help.”  
Dean went along looking back over his shoulder at the rest. He shrugged. They didn’t know that much more than he did. Who cared. If Max was in a cooking mood then there could be TinyPies in his future. Like immediate instead of distant future. He could get behind that.

Kenneth waited till they were up the stairs. “My thanks Warlock.”  
“Don’t mention it.”  
“Of course.” 

Kenneth carefully stretched and moved getting a feel for his body. He was a little wobbly but fine. “Let’s see how long it takes me to make it up the stairs this time.” 

They trailed along behind him. Hadrian and Stiles bringing up the rear.  
“That was interesting.”  
“Wasn’t it though.”  
“Interesting casting circle.”  
“Intriguing power source. Wasn’t expecting that.”  
“Neither was I.” 

Hadrian gave Stiles a sideways look. “Want to discuss it over dinner and romance?”  
“No wine?”  
“You wouldn’t like me with wine.”  
“Oh?”  
“Alcohol and I don’t mix well.”  
“Oh. Can’t say that I’m that fond of it myself. Not always a good time had.” Stiles nodded thoughtfully. “I can do dinner and romance then. It has to be good romance. You are a Warlock. Should I expect a magical evening?”

Hadrian grinned. “I’m sure that I can come up with something.”  
“I’m just sure you can.” Stiles touched Hadrian’s arm. “You go on up. I just thought of something that might be nice and no you can’t find out till later.” 

Hadrian jogged up the stairs leaving Stiles alone in his workroom. To walk over and stare at the marks on the floor. Etched into the earth. It seemed that some of the rumors were true. Be careful what you wish for; it just might come to visit and ask for its own room. 

Stiles grabbed one of his many baskets and filled it with this and that. Some for everyone and some for someone…unique. 

He turned out the lights and went back up the stairs. Resolutely ignoring the faint glow from behind him.  
There was a time and a place for everything. It was the time and place to feed his empty belly. Not have conversations with glowing things in dark places.

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Max had outdone himself.

“That was one of the best meals that I have had in my life.” Hadrian raised his glass of tea to Max.  
“Which is why I can now just go ahead and do something fairly unpleasant.” He looked over at Stiles. “I need to go through the Herb Store and see what has been done. I understand why it has been pushed over to the side. But it is just festering. And that is one of the reasons that I am here. To deal with the problem. So? Do I need keys or is it accessible?” 

“I’ve got the keys. I’ll take you through what I know. I think that there are more places that have been hidden from me.”  
Hadrian got to his feet. “First the mundane then the magical. Just keep in mind that all adventures with me won’t suck in the bad sort of way.”  
Stiles just shook his head and led Hadrian next door. 

He followed along behind. Mostly silent unless asked for information. There were so many memories. So many hopes and dreams. That felt like they were dead or dying. 

Teyla had taken everything that she had wanted. It still felt odd to walk through her..what had been her home. But not really. Her heart had always been somewhere else. 

Stiles was too..tired, hurt and just numb when Hadrian opened up the rest of the tiny apartment he had lived in for so many years. He quickly found and opened the front apartments. Even those were larger than what Stiles had been given. A small part of him still wondered..why?

There were no runes on the top floor. No markings that could be revealed. The market floor held some. It had been easier to get to. 

The majority were on the ground floor. The ritual area that Teyla had sealed off. There were preparations for power gathering rituals in place. As far as he could tell they had never been used. Teyla had managed that. To keep whomever at bay on some things. 

It was a bleed off of their twisted attempt to tap into the portal under the Herb Store. The one that Stiles had used the one time for Mouse. Stiles had only used it that one time. The contact had come from the other end. He didn’t have the control nor did he want it. 

There were other portals that could be used. There was no need for this portal and many reasons for it not to be. Hadrian agreed to seal it. It took no time until it was a slagged piece of wall. The fire that consumed the opening reached out to the rest of the building and turned stone and wood to slag and char. 

It had been too easy. For Hadrian. Stiles pushed that thought very far from his mind. How easy it had been for Hadrian to set parts of his world on fire. 

“So that is done.”  
“Partially.”  
“Oh crap.”  
“Pretty much.” Hadrian turned to Stiles. “There is a reason that I had everyone gather in your work area. It allowed me to scan then. The girls have been targeted. I can detect faint markings that have been placed on them sometime in the past. It was on their bodies except for Morgana. I think that whoever did it knew that Lylith was watching and guarding. It took me time to find what it was. The markings are on a necklace she wears. I think that is how it has slipped by Lylith.” 

“Who gave it to her?”  
“She honestly can’t remember. I can’t access those memories either.”  
“This isn’t helping. I mean I understand you are doing your best. I’m doing all I can but damn! For every sort of answer we get there are five or ten more questions that pop up. It seems like we aren’t making any progress at all.” 

“That is why I brought you over here where we can talk in private. There is more than one party at work. I have no idea how or how much they are communicating. No one says anything that I might hear. Nothing to anyone that I am known to trust which, granted, are like a sum of two people. And that is on a really good, generous day.” 

“So what? What now?”

“I think that I’d like to stay. See this played out. They are claiming their prey. If nothing else so the other hunters won’t foul their nets.”  
“Have I told you that you’re helpful? No? That’s because you fucking aren’t.” 

“I have experience with both being the hunted and the hunter. I have time. There is really nothing pulling me back. Plus I have an aversion to wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. A week or so for the girls to get to know me and for me to get a read on them. Know what he was dealing with and the best approach for them. That would be a kindness that I can do. Don’t you agree?”  
“And if I didn’t?”  
“Then I will find somewhere else to stay. I’m not leaving just yet.”  
“I’d rather you stay where I can keep an eye on you.”  
“Personally, I’d rather stay where you could do more than just watch me. I’ve cleared this out. I can stay in the apartment on the market floor. That work?”  
“I guess it will have to.” 

Hadrian moved close to Stiles. “Don’t be such a grumpy kitty. Shall I pet you and see if I can’t make you purr?”  
“You can try. I don’t really purr.”  
“I’ve learned to work with what I can get my hands on.”  
Hadrian had Stiles pressed against the wall.  
“Don’t think this changes anything.”  
“Of course not.”  
“I don’t completely trust you.”  
“Completely understandable.”  
“I’m not even sure that I like you.”  
Hadrian nipped Stiles’ throat. “Some days I’m not sure if it myself.”  
“You are kind of unhinged.”  
“Been called worse.” 

Silence except for some gasping breaths.  
“Just so we understand where the other is coming from.”  
“No doubt in my mind where I’m coming from or where I’m headed.”  
Stiles’ answer was a low, breathy moan.

♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†♥†

It was much later that evening when Hadrian had put away his things and was sitting with the others in the back of the Bookstore. He looked around him.   
Chris the Wolfgard.   
Peter the Sanguinati.   
Stiles and Scott who were Winterborne. Oh he had heard of them.   
Sam and Dean, said as if it was one name. Brothers. Hunters.   
Etienne the Beargard.   
Allison who it remained to be seen if she was her mother’s daughter or her father’s.   
Morgana, girl-child named after the Dark Witch. Or was she only named after her?   
Lydia whose part had yet to be told. She was hiding in plain sight as much as...   
Mouse was hiding in the shadows. Mouse who had another name. Another title.   
Max who had been pulled into their orbit.   
Bringing him Kenneth. Guardian.

There were others who wove in and out of their path. Aunt Tory. Ares. Stephen. Even those whose path had seemed to diverge. Teyla. Lylith. 

Those that danced in counter measure that he had names for: Kate. Victoria. Gerard.  
And those he didn’t. The Coven. They Grey Council. 

Forces were gathering. The three buildings of the old stronghold were occupied once again. Places were being filled with warm and living bodies instead of memories and ghosts. And him. Who truly fit neither category. 

We are all together now. Does that make us stronger or a bigger target?


End file.
